Alice: Bloody Wonderland
by Katherine-E-Kora
Summary: Alice is a quiet, good-mannered, and unusual girl, who sometimes can be a little dense. However, the island is a dangerous place, and can do strange things to everyone...even Alice. As her secrets unfold and her sanity unwinds, she begins to make deals with the oddest of figures, including a suspicious mirror of herself known as Charisma. Will she ever find someone she can trust?
1. Alice, You're Late

**Melonkatze/Cocolada, I want to start by saying this is dedicated to you. YOU MADE ME DO IT XD **

**OK.**

**SO….**

**I know I TRIED doing a girl on the island fiction a while ago…but I decided it was worth another shot. I really want to do one, and this time, I PROMISE IT WON'T BE PREDICTABLE….**

**SIGH.**

**So, to start things off with a bang, let's begin in a unique way.**

…**.**

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER ONE: Alice, you're late.

I never really knew what was beyond my bedroom door. I guess I should have expected that the world wasn't like story books; that there are people out there who might want to hurt me. Maybe I had known all along that my life would have turned out like that. Maybe I was just trying to live out a delusional fairy tale for just a bit longer.

Either way, when I finally opened that door, my welcome was not as I thought it would be.

The sky was black and thick with the scent of rotting flesh and molten bones. People screamed, ran in different directions, dissipated into the night. I, instead of following their example, held fast to my bag full of things and wandered the streets, looking in awe up at the sky. My pretty dress was covered in ashes now.

"This isn't like the books at all." I stated quietly, still staring upwards. Someone from the shadows caught me by the hand and pulled gently. I fixed them with a blank gaze. For some reason, everyone was always unnerved by my stare. My mother had told me it had something to do with my eyes. But, whenever I looked in the mirror, I found nothing wrong with them. Pretty and bright blue, I thought, they were pretty and big and blue.

"Girl," The man who'd caught me gasped, "You should be taking cover…no, wait, you should be at the planes! There's still a few left, underground at the military confines, for young kids like you!"

I turned my head to the side.

"Young kids…like me?"

"Yeah, follow me!" The man dragged me into the rubble with him. For a moment, I was startled, and for some reason scared. But it quickly opened up into a subway tunnel. The overhead lights shuddered with each bomb that fell from the skies. Either way, he lead me around the arching gateways, through back passages, into metal rooms, until the air became stiff and cold. We were deeper underground than we used to be. For the last time, he pushed through a large metal door and led me into one last room. It was the biggest room I'd ever seen; full of jets and tanks and soldiers. I smiled in awe and whipped my head around, trying to take it all in.

"What are you doing?!" The man urged, "Come on, hurry! They're loadin' up the last civilian transport, you fluff-head!"

A fluff head? Was my head really filled with fluff? Maybe.

I followed him between the bustling crowds and into a different section of the docks. We were in front of a massive propeller plane now, with only a few rows of children lined up obediently in front of it. I stood on my tippy-toes to see what they looked like. As far as I could tell, they were all boys.

"Sir, sir!" The man who'd accompanied me frantically motioned to a head soldier, who marched over.

"What appears to be the problem? Civilians aren't permitted down here, don't you know?" The soldier said with a bit of a warning in his tone. I tipped my head up at him.

"I found this girl in the streets. She was alone. Do you think you could fit her in on a plane?"

"The only one left is for boys. But, I think she'll be fine. We'll keep a close eye on her." The soldier admitted, "Thank you for bringing her in. I would get to a designated civilian safety zone if I were you."

"Yes, sir." The man I had been with rushed off, out of the plane decks. He left me to the soldier, who grabbed me by the arm and half-dragged me to the last plane. It seemed everyone had boarded while I was with the man. The soldier shoved me aboard, giving brisk instructions to the pilot, who showed me to a seat in the back. I gratefully bowed and stared at the crowd of boys a bit before sitting down. They stared rudely back.

"Manners." I reminded myself under my breath, taking my seat. I didn't really know what was going on.

"Take off is going to be a little hot, boys, so brace yourselves!" A flight attendant warned from the front of the plane. He gripped the sides with both hands, looking rather surprised and scared all at once.

The boys around me started to buckle up. I followed their example.

Before I knew it, the plane jolted forward unsteadily. What a rickety thing, I thought. Some hole opened up above us, and we were in the red-tinted sky. Instantly, the cabin started to shiver. A loud screeching erupted from behind us.

"We're taking evasive maneuvers!" warned the attendant. I held fast to the arms of my seat, coughing as a bit of ash fluttered up from the fabric of my dress and caught in my nose. The plane paid no heed to it though. All around me, boys were screaming and shouting in fear and excitement. People were shooting at us, they said, people were following us.

I looked out my window hurriedly. Silvery birds flanked us on either side. I waved to a pilot, and he waved back. The flag he wore on his shoulder was not ours, not the union jack. It was red and white and blue. Like the French flag, but different. I'd never seen this one before.

The ocean was beneath us in about an hour's time, rolling choppily with waves of a coming storm. Still, my plane followed us.

Someone screamed that something else was coming.

RATATATATATATATATATATAT

The engine roared and bucked in protest.

There was a creaking sound, then a snap.

And suddenly, the great bird I was in plunged downward, belly towards the sea, and fell out of the sky.

…

**DAMNIT.**

**I hope I didn't just hand craft another freaking Mary-Sue…GAH!**

***kicks over table***

**Anyway, I hope you liked this first chapter. It was kind of uneventful, but oh well. Please review. I want to know if I should actually continue this, or if I'm just wasting my time….XD Not like I'm going to spend it doing anything else of use, amiright?! Sorry for the short chapter as well, the next one's longer.**


	2. Down The Rabbit Hole

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

Chapter Two: Down the Rabbit Hole

The impact of the plane hitting the water shook my very core; metal grated together, crunched against the now bending hull of the leviathan and the bodies of those unfortunate enough to be caught in its teeth. I must have missed it, but someone screamed that the plane had hit land first. It was probably because I was in the back of the bird; all I could feel was the water starting to swirl in through the windows, the eddies forming around my ankles. I looked down and started to panic. In my amazement after the falling, I hadn't realized that my legs had been crushed underneath my seat. The pain struck me without warning, sending terrible shivers up my spine. I moaned weakly.

"Help!" I called out into the darkness with all that I could muster, "Please, someone help! I can't move! I'm stuck! Help…help!"

The loss of blood was starting to make me dizzy. I attempted tugging my legs from underneath the crumpled seat, but to no avail. The blood just swirled out faster, quickening my own demise. I felt water work its way down my cheeks; whether from tears, sweat, or the thundering rain outside I couldn't tell. I shrieked in agony as another ripple of pain ripped through my body.

"Anyone? Is anyone left in here?!" A voice called. "Scream if you can hear me!"

"I'm here!" I shouted back, my voice cracking apart, "Help! Help!"

"Hold on…I'm looking for you!" The voice announced, frantic, "Just hold on!"

The voice swirled around in my head. It felt so empty and light, like it could just take off, a balloon in the night-time sky. My eyes flickered closed for a moment before I shook them open again. No…I couldn't…I couldn't pass out now! They would never find me!

"Hold on…just a moment longer…hold on…"

…

"…Ah. There you are Alice…"

The voices began to fade into the background. The night turned darker, black submarines swimming in my vision. I couldn't…

The last thing I heard was the splashing of water as my rescuer swam past me.

….

"-No more than three…Jack, you can come; and Simon too." Another voice, different slightly from the one I'd heard before, broke into my senses, logged with water and pain. I would've thought myself dead, but this didn't exactly feel like heaven.

"Maurice, Roger, watch the camp while we're gone." Another voice ordered. I opened my eyes just barely, and sunlight flooded into them. It burned my skin with a hell-like intensity. I couldn't remember why, but my legs hurt like someone had shoved railroad spikes into every side of them. I moaned between my shallow, rapid breathing. By the sounds of scuffling around me, I could judge that at least one person had taken notice. A wet hand pressed itself against my forehead.

"Move her out of the heat, Maurice. For God's sake, are you trying to cook her?" Yet another voice snapped angrily. I winced as someone pulled me across the rough ground and into a different position. At least I was in the shade now. I sighed in relief.

"That ought 'a do it." The voice of the one who moved me said. It was dangerously close, close enough for me to feel his breath on my face. I shuddered uncomfortably, but still hadn't fully regained control of my limbs yet. They were numb and unstirring to me, like when you wake up and have been sleeping on one of your arms for the duration of the night.

The first complaining voice didn't speak up again. For a moment, I felt a pang of regret. So far, he was the only one to stick up for me.

Suddenly, my eyes winked open in surprise as something dawned upon me. I shot up, getting back control of my tired limbs. However, my revelation was stolen from me as my movement sent a shockwave of new horrid pain rushing through my legs. I screamed. The two older boys in front of me drew back curiously.

"Good morning sunshine." The first, a kind of short boy with wild brown hair and grey eyes, greeted: "Welcome back to the world of the living."

The second simply grunted apathetically, something that could be taken for a yes or a no, depending on the circumstances. I ignored him.

"Wh-what happened?" I squeaked. The one with the crazy hair drew farther back at the sound of my voice, as if he was surprised by the structure of it. I'd always had a very quiet, tiny voice. Some people were bothered by it, others found it cute. I found it neither nor.

"The plane crashed." He answered strangely, "You were lucky enough to get out in time. We found you here when we came to this meeting place…I don't know how you did it, with your legs like that. You're awful lucky, girl."

"My name's Alice." I said, looking up earnestly.

"Maurice." The boy smiled, "Nice to meet you for real instead of passed out."

"Yeah, me too." I looked around slowly, taking in the fullness of the place. It looked like the pictures on the postcards my parents would send me sometimes; a tropical paradise, complete with the colorful birds, only without the plastic lawn flamingos. The ocean spread out along the horizon, a wrinkly distrust crawling beneath its surface. I gasped and smiled. How beautiful. The palm trees swayed with the wind, as if nodding in agreement. Maurice smiled too. He was awful chipper, wasn't he?

"You like this place, don't you?" He asked gently.

"Yes." I whispered, "I think I'll like it here."

"Well, hopefully we won't stay long. I've got a choir concert to get to!" Maurice elbowed the boy next to him, the one with the scary eyes and black hair. "Ain't that right, Roger?"

"Don't touch me." The boy named Roger spat. Without another word, he stood up and walked into the forest. Maurice watched him go with resigned interest.

"Don't bother about him," Maurice consoled, "He's kind of…different."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked in my normal small voice. Maurice laughed in response and shook his head.

"No, but it'd be best if you steered clear of Roger."

I looked around for a moment more, absorbed in the meek happenings of the trees and rocks and the little children playing in the ocean. I wished briefly that I'd had the strength to play with them. Maurice caught me staring wistfully past him and shot me a devious smile.

"I can carry you over, if that's what you want." He offered. It sounded genuine enough.

"That would be great, thanks." I murmured. He scooped me up bridal style and walked me over to the water. As he waded in and set me down, the littluns started to stare curiously. At first, the salty water sent a horrible, stinging pain through my legs; but eventually I got used to even this and was able to sit comfortably. It was almost like the water was drawing poison out of them and with each second they felt better. The caked blood rinsed off in the gentle pull of the tide, revealing the gruesome wounds beneath. They actually…they weren't that bad upon a second glance. Very bruised, but the lacerations were only minor. I sighed in relief and closed my eyes, soaking in what I could of the sun.

"Hey, are you ok here by yourself?" Maurice asked plaintively, "I'd like to have a look around. Can you walk at all?"

"I'll be fine." I answered, glancing up at him. He was standing over me, water dripping from his hair and onto my head. The drops trickled down my pale hair and touched my face, cooling me of my fever. It felt relieving. "Go do what you need. I can handle myself."

"Alright, but if you need anything just call out. Someone ought to hear you." Maurice smiled again, then turned and waved, splashing through the water noisily. I cringed away as some struck me in the eye. Rubbing it out, I blew out a breath and took in the rest of the scenes before me.

Little kids played about it in the water, screeching in delight and joy. It seemed like they were enjoying themselves, and didn't need to be watched over. One of the smallest wandered over and peeked at me curiously through his sopping screen of hair.

"Are you here to watch us, miss?" He asked.

"Yes, I suppose I am. Are you having fun?" I answered, putting on the smile my teacher always put on for me. He took to it fondly.

"It's fun to play in the water!" He exclaimed at my question.

"It is."

"Uh-huh!"

For a while, the child played around close to me. He had a large burn on the side of his cheek, winding down his neck. If I hadn't known any better, if I hadn't lived at my aunt's for the past four years, I would've mistaken it for a birthmark. My aunt was an apothecary, and she'd taught me all of the things she knew. I could easily heal my legs, if time permitted it. Perhaps when Maurice came back I'd ask him to be my crutch for a walk in the woods. The proper leaves should be there…Or maybe someone else could take me. Just as I thought this, one of the boys pounced, aiming for the boy with the burn, but missing by leaps and bounds and landed on my knees. Pain shot through my already tired body. I let out a terrible wail. All of the kids cowered, running away from my screams. Or maybe from something else.

Someone hoisted me up out of the water by the crook of my elbow. My wet dress made my body heavier, and I shook visibly from the cold touch of the air and the new weight that burden my fragile frame.

"You're scaring the children." My capturer, Roger, apparently back from his trek, scolded, "And I can't stop the waterworks if they start, so shut up already. It can't hurt that bad."

"…" I was speechless with fear. Words evaded me. The only audible thing that escaped my lips was a muted whimper, brought on by my freshly bleeding wounds. They turned the water red beneath me. Roger looked down, scanning the clear blue waves with expert eyes.

"You're going to attract sharks if this keeps up…_sigh_…" He commented drily. I bit my lower lip as he dragged me out of the water, still by my elbow. He didn't appear the least bit worried as he plopped my limp body down on the sand and scooted up my dress a little to get a better look at the wounds. I trembled uncomfortably. For some reason, this Roger figure made me incredibly nervous. Just him looking at me was enough to send me shaking…but now he was _touching_ me…I swallowed another scream.

"The wounds aren't that bad…" He muttered, "Just deal with it, girl." He got up and left. Unlike my first introduction to Maurice, I didn't even feel obliged to give Roger my name. Call me girl if he wanted to, as long as he had nothing to do with me. I wouldn't even let him have my name.

Everything was precious here.

Even my name.

_Alice Persi McClellan_ would always be mine.


	3. This Pill Makes You Smaller

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER THREE: This Pill Makes You Smaller

Sleep was fitful that night. I tossed and turned on the sand, trying to stay as far as I possibly could from all the boys, even Maurice. I didn't want anyone to touch me. Not one soul; especially not with my legs as tender as they were. Since the afternoon, I'd regained my ability to walk, but only just barely. As I finally drifted to sleep, I found with terror that it did not go undisturbed.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a nightmare.

I was at my parent's house in America. If you had watched and hadn't known me all that well, there would've been nothing nightmarish about it. It was just a normal Victorian-style house, seated promptly in a quaint, greened neighborhood. A light flickered in my bedroom window on the first floor. It was the only one on.

Carefully, carefully, oh so carefully, I proceeded. In order to proceed, I gave myself small, easy steps to follow.

Go to the porch.

Open the door.

Go right in the entry way, past the couch and the flickering TV in the dark living room, down that hall.

My bedroom door was already opened for me. She was…waiting.

"Go into your bedroom, Alice." She said, smiling pallidly from the eerie darkness of my room. Only a single candle wisped around on my window sill, giving off a tiny bit of light. I followed the girl's challenge shakily and slowly, my eyes frozen on her as she sat by my mirror and tinkered with my old belongings.

"Don't you remember me? What do you say, _Alice_?" The girl looked at me devilishly, grinning even wider. Only her eyes, hair and teeth were visible, yet I knew immediately who she was. Her red irises were a change, but otherwise, anyone could've identified her. "I've been _dying_ _for you_ to play with me again."

She was me.

I jolted up from sleep, screaming shrilly into the night air. Birds cawed and fluttered out of the surrounding forest as my shrieks startled their brothers and sisters. I gripped my chest, breathing heavy and quick. My hands were shaking. This wasn't the first time…I mean…I'd seen her before. Someone came tumbling through the undergrowth, ripping me from my memories. At least they weren't good memories.

"Hey! You!" The crasher called angrily from the dark. I whipped around fervently, trying to pinpoint his location. My eyes found a tuft of red hair about five and a half feet up, dark blue eyes winking in unison. "You're going to wake up the whole freaking island. You're lucky I don't throw you in the ocean."

"Sorry." I apologized, still startled from my dream. The boy frowned and picked his way over to me. I recognized him at once. It was Jack Merridew from the trek earlier. Though, I'd never actually seen him before, I'd heard Maurice and Roger gossiping about him enough. They were right…he was hopelessly ginger. But that's ok.

"Whatever." He said, "As long as you don't do it again, you hear?"

"Uh-huh."

As he started walking away, I remembered the pain in my legs again with a whine, muffled by my hands. I debated waiting until morning, when it was safer, but decided after another spurt of pain that this matter was too urgent to wait.

"Excuse me?" I piped up nervously. He stopped and turned back towards me. "But…um…could you help me look for plants in the forest very quickly?" He raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Plants?" He stated.

"Yes."

"In the forest?"

"You heard it right."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Uh-huh."

Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Why?"

"Because," I responded quietly, "My legs really hurt and I could use the plants to heal them. But, if you don't want to help me that's fine. I'll just ask Maurice in the morning." My fingers twisted together in an odd way, a result of the nervous habit I'd developed over the years.

"Fine." Jack agreed unexpectedly. I frowned as he helped me to my feet and let me lean on him as I wandered the trees. Every time I stooped next to a shrub, he made sure to steady me with one hand. Without realizing it, I wandered slowly but surely into the depths of the jungle, to places I'd never been before. I had only collected one herb, and not a very helpful one at that. Looked as if the pickings would be slim here. A sigh I began was cut off with a gasp as Jack pushed me down. Not skipping a beat, he fell down on top of me. I shrieked in pain.

"You honestly thought I'd help you for nothing in return, eh?" He whispered in my ear, "Well, you're more stupid than I thought. This is going to be easy as cake."

"Get off! Someone help! HE-"

He slammed his fist into my jaw, effectively shutting me up. I began to cry pitifully, unable to do or say anything else.

"You know, you sure are pretty." He mocked me flatly, tracing my cheek with his index finger, "There's going to be _soooo_ many uses for you, Alice."

"JACK!" Another voice cried from the beach, "JACK! WE NEED YOUR HELP! JACK!"

"Damnit…" Jack muttered, agitation glittering in his dark blue eyes. He looked down on me with hated in his eyes before he got up, towering over me. "Don't think this is over." And he left, just as unexpected as he came. I lay there for a while, watching the moon make its slow progression across the sky with shaking hands and trembling arms. My breath came in little clouds, and I realized for the first time how cold I was.

"Get up, Alice." I ordered myself weakly, pulling myself to my feet by the branches of a low tree. I'd forgotten about the herbs. They no longer mattered. I just wanted to get back to the safety of the beach…before he came back, preferably. Each step sent a new wave of pain through my body. A few times, I fell forward, earning more bruises than it was worth.

"Are you ok?"

My heart shifted into high gear at the sound of another voice, and I whipped around to see what terror the woods had in store for me next. With relief, I found it had only been Maurice. I must be pretty close to the camps if he heard me. He scanned my progression with slightly concerned eyes.

"You take some interesting walks, huh?" He joked uncomfortably, "It's pretty late for a stroll in the woods, don't you think?"

"Yeah…" I breathed, "Too late."

I began to swoon under the weight of the air in the sky. He rushed forward and caught me by the arm before I could black out.

"Stay with me!" He warned. I fought against the onslaught behind my eyes; myself with red eyes, Jack, the mirror, my house. For some reason, I drew an instantaneous connection between them. None of them were good things.

"Could you…" I bit my tongue, stopping the last words. I decided then not to ask for help anymore.

And so, I pushed away from him and began my lonely walk back up to the beach of my desolated soul. It somehow felt even smaller than before.


	4. This Pill Makes You Bigger

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER THREE: This Pill Makes You Bigger

As I wandered back to the beach, alone, I made sure to keep an eye out for anyone who decided that they might approach me. I couldn't stand the paranoia. It made me feel…insane. I looked up at the moon, stumbling backwards and reeling in the pure white sand. The moon was full tonight, fronted by a mountain-top that spewed flames. I tried to steady my breathing. It didn't look like the candle from my dream…It didn't…

Someone moved silently around in the forest. I held my breath and stared curiously. It was probably just Maurice, coming to check on me or insist that he watch me for a while. But, much to my amazement, it wasn't. A boy about my height darted from the tree line and made a mad dash for the camp across the beach. I'd never seen him before. At least he might throw Maurice off my trail. For now.

I didn't fall asleep again that night. Instead, I sat in the waves and closed my eyes, just listening to the waves. Sobs racked my frame, though I didn't really realize it. It's like I wasn't actually experiences it…like I was watching someone else from above. The sun was beginning to rise atop the waves. When it was finally level with the horizon, I had calmed down enough to look normal. I sighed. What a first day in paradise, huh?!

I pushed myself to my feet tiredly and walked back along the beach to the boys' camp. My toes sunk between the sand, rubbing off all the dirt from the woods before. Each step sent tiny jolts up my spine, made my legs ache even more. At this rate, I figured I'd never heal them. The cuts had sealed up with my own blood, the bruises had begun to yellow. It looked absolutely terrifying, yes, but I'd certainly seen much worse. In addition, my legs had started to twist together and bend when I walked, giving me an almost zombie-like gait. I blinked.

At the camp, Maurice, two identical boys, and the leader of our rag-tag troupe, Ralph, were already up and at 'em. Maurice waved while frowning up at me. I waved back.

"Good morning, Alice." He greeted, "Nice to see you again. Are you…ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine thank you." I answered, looking at the beach in the distance. Maurice sighed and turned his attention back on the other boys.

"So, Samneric, are you taking first fire watch, or should Roger and I do it?" He asked the identical ones. I turned my head at them, curiosity peaked. They were most certainly twins.

"We don't really know." One said.

"Jack never told us." The other finished. I looked them over, picking each detail apart. Their differences were abundant, upon close examination by a trained eye. Yet, they got along so well…I turned my head. How did they do it? How could one stand the other?

They noticed my staring pretty quickly. Maurice kept on talking.

"I suppose then Roger and I can watch it today, and you two can take it tonight. Is that ok with you?" He suggested. The twins nodded in unison.

"Sounds-"

"-good."

"Alright then." Maurice leaned back and rolled to his feet. He sounded slightly resigned and peeved about something, specifically when he shot me a glance from the corner of his eye. "I'll go wake Roger then. See you later, Alice."

"See you." I said politely back. He walked off. The twins, meanwhile, stayed put by Ralph. Out of courtesy I suppose, they didn't mention my blatant staring from before. Ralph took up the banter from there, unused to the strange silence brought on by the twins and me.

"So, I think today we're just going to take it easy." The blonde laughed, out of place, "Jack's gone off hunting with some others, so he won't be tying us down none!" He joked last. I stiffened up at the sound of Jack's name. I wondered if he ever found who was calling him last night. I'd certainly never heard the voice…

…but…I had…Somewhere…

My revelation came back to me.

The voice belonged to the person on the plane. The one who spoke to me then…

Who rescued me from that wreck?

I needed to think.

"Excuse me." I smiled something fake and went on my way. I decided against the woods, since Jack was in there somewhere. Instead, I wandered along the beach next to where I slept until I couldn't bear to walk anymore. My legs shook and my breathing came too hard. My heart beat with the speed of a train. Weak from wounds and lack of sleep, I struggled into a small cove of fruit trees right outside what I designated as the forest and collapsed into one. One of the over-ripe fruits fell from the tree and bounced off my head, rolling somewhere off to the side. There was a slight rustling sound.

"Hi there." A voice said, "I think you dropped this."

I turned just barely to see who spoke. It was the boy from last night, the one who ran from the woods. He was smaller than the rest, less threatening than even Maurice. His eyes sparkled bright green, covered just slightly by almost black hair that appeared to be a rusty brown. I continued to just breath, still trying to recover from my long walk. A littlun ran past me, playing among the fruit. Others milled about, some sitting, some standing. I pushed myself fully to my feet with shaking arms, trying to appear capable.

"Hello." I said back to the boy. He smiled warmly.

"You must be Alice, huh?" He asked, "I wasn't expecting you to be American. I'm Simon."

He didn't hold out his hand as an offering of friendliness, so I didn't take it. Instead, his smile was enough for me to take to him immediately. I decided, just for the moment, that I could trust this Simon character.

"Yes." I whimpered, still weak, "I had to move in with my aunt in England when I was three because of…family issues."

"Oh. How old are you now?"

"Twelve. I would've turned thirteen…the day of the fires in the sky. So, I guess I'm thirteen now." I answered honestly.

"Fires in the sky?" He questioned curiously, "You mean the bombing?"

"Is that what that was?"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh. I've only ever read about those." I replied. At least I had learned something new today. So London had been bombed after all. I hope my aunt made it out alright. Remembering the plane suddenly, I also remembered what I'd come there for in the first place, the reason I'd started my trek for epiphanies.

"I have to go." I dismissed myself with a bow and walked back towards the beach. I think I could manage a few more miles of walking now. "It was nice to talk."

"Right." Simon called after me, turning back to the woods like a doe, "Same here."

Now that my head had been cleared, I started to think.

So, the voice from last night, the one that saved me from…I swallowed just thinking about it…had been the same one from on the plane. It made sense, if I thought hard about it. Obviously, someone was watching out for me, whether I liked it or not. There was some other place I'd heard the voice too, but they weren't bubbling up at the moment. I'd just have to be content with what information I could muster. I stopped walking for a moment.

Wait.

I was missing something important here.

Suddenly it occurred to me, hit me like a bomb. I had been missing something. There had been two voices on the plane that I'd heard.

The first one, the one who _tried_ to rescue me, wasn't the one that I had to be puzzled over. I was pretty sure that voice had been Ralph's, now that I'd heard him speak first hand. I'd have to ask him later about it.

The second one had said my name.

So the owner of the voice had known my name before I'd told anybody on the island here. Problem was I didn't know anybody on the island. I had seen everyone that had survived the crash, and there was absolutely nobody I knew, not a soul. Unless they were…no.

Obviously, they were trying to protect me from something. So, until I found logical proof for my misgivings, I was able to push them entirely out of my head and continue walking down the beach.

_**"Ah…there you are, Alice."**_

…

**Dude, I'm typing these out so fast it's ridicousouosnessness. That is a horrible misspelling. Please forgive me and note that you should be reading this in a super-fast voice because I feel so incredibly energetic right now it's not even funny. Seriously, I could run a mile and not die which, for your information, HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. EVER. IN THE HISTORY OF HISTORIES.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW. Thank you to cocolada and that person who favorite/followed my story…*looks up name so we can do this properly without being rude* Pockey Lover. I love Pockey too, but I love you even more for following my story. Seriously, you're awesome. AND THANK YOU MELONKATZE FOR READING AND REVIEWING ALL OF MY STORIES WHEN NO ONE ELSE DOES, YOU MAKE ME WANT TO PUKE RAINBOWS WHILE RIDING A NYAN CAT WHILE HUGGING A BUTTERFLY. I've had to rewrite this comments section like forty times because of how tired I am. I think my energy comes from my slap-happiness now.**

**Oh, and have any of you watched the movie Sucker Punch? I heard it was good and the soundtrack was pure awesome sauce so I was thinking of checking it out. **

**THANKS FOR READING PLEASE REVIEW HOPE YOU LIEKED I LOVE YOU ALL IN A NON AWKWARD WAY**


	5. Tea Time with Hatter-San

**Longest freaking chapter thus far.**

**I hope you like it!**

…**..**

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER FIVE: Tea time with Hatter-san

The rest of that day I stuck around Maurice at the top of the mountain. It had been hard getting up, but at least I was around at least one person I knew wouldn't hurt me. That thought stopped me short. Hurt me! As if…I suddenly realized how ridiculous the notion was. We were civilized! English were rumored to be the most civil of all the nations, with manners to match. I really shouldn't feel threatened at all. However, as I sat by the fire and felt Roger's gaze on me, I immediately re-evaluated my thoughts.

"So," Maurice laughed, "After that, the teacher was totally mad. We all got sent to the headmaster's office! And get this, the headmaster didn't even care. She thought it was funny! You should have seen the look on Ms. Moore's face. It was priceless."

"Uh-huh." I answered. I hadn't really been listening. Instead, I absorbed myself in the fire. The flames lapped at the sky, and at times I almost thought I could see myself inside. The flames…changed my eyes. The me from my dreams lived on the other side of that fire.

"Alice…"

"?"

"Alice…Come closer…heehee."

"Ok…" I crawled closer on my hands and knees, scuffing up my bruises. Someone snapped me back by my collar. I gasped and shrieked, but it was only Maurice.

"Alice! What the heck?! Were you about to…!?" Maurice exclaimed. I looked back up calmly.

"Sorry, there was something in there…that I needed to see."

Roger, a little ways away leaned up against a boulder, laughed darkly. "Maurice," He said with a mischievous sideways glance from beneath a curtain of black hair, "I wouldn't bother much with Alice. She's gone batty already."

"I have not!" I huffed angrily.

"Have too." Roger retorted devilishly, "Look at yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Biting my lip, I turned away. Roger was such a pain. I still didn't like him; for all that it was worth. Just his face made me want to puke. Well, maybe not his looks, but definitely his smile. It was like he was trying to make people angry, and he was getting a real kick out of it.

"Whatever." He sighed with fake intensity, leaning down farther against the boulder and flashing Maurice and I another smirk. "Geez, Alice, you're so dense!"

"How did you learn my name anyway?" I asked, truly curious. I certainly hadn't told him.

"Oh," He chuckled, "Maurice talks about you enough."

"I do not!" Maurice turned red. I just looked between them quickly, still on my knees from being dragged away from the fire. Some sort of stand-off was going on here between the boys, but I couldn't quite understand it. I'd never understand them.

"Again, it's not like I care." Roger sneered, "It's just funny to mess with you two. Your reactions are…different."

"Are you calling us idiots?!" Maurice shouted, jumping to his feet. He grabbed the collar of Roger's black uniform and started to shake him back and forth. "I'll teach you…!"

"Now, now!" Roger laughed again. He seemed to be getting a kick out of this. "I never said that! Now you're just looking for an excuse to change the subject…Ow! Stop bashing my head against the rock! That hurts!"

"Make me!"

Roger pushed Maurice away easily once he felt like it. I turned my head to the side. Both were clearly a lot stronger than they looked at a first glance.

"Hey, Alice?" He asked, lacing a sweet, honey-like quality through his voice. It sounded so kind that it was almost mocking. Or maybe it was. I snapped to attention at my name being called. "Since you're up here, could you be a darling and fetch us something for lunch? We're going to be here until late, you know."

I pushed myself to my feet unsteadily and nodded. "Sure thing. It might be a while though." I replied. Roger just smiled in mock-friendliness.

"Thank you."

"Y-your welcome?" I started down the mountain. But not before I heard the starting of a conversation without me.

"See, I told you she was easily manipulated. It's no wonder Jack has his eye on her." Roger sighed.

"She's just a nice person that's all." Maurice shot back, "I don't see why anyone would want to hurt her like that."

"Just you watch." Roger responded. The conversation faded behind me. And, although I couldn't quite make the connection yet, their words sent shivers up my spine.

…..

After I'd gathered the fruit and shellfish, I made a loop back to where the plane had initially crashed. As I climbed up and out of the rut, something fell off of the lip of the scar and rolled back in. I dropped down as well, examining it with keen interest. It was a small metal bucket-looking contraption. I had originally intended to bring the water up in coconuts, but this would serve even better for carrying.

On my way up to the mountain, I went to the stream to fill it. That was when I heard it; faint rustling from the trees, the sound of voices. I felt my heart jump. Quickly, letting instinct take over, I ducked into some thickets and watched with wide eyes from the thorns as the hunting party went by. At its head, an all too familiar ginger gave orders. Holding my breath, I snuck out of the thicket and tried to go back up the mountain the back way. My dress caught on some prickers on my exit, leaving some pale pink fabric behind on the shrubs. I paid no heed. Instead, I ran as fast as my legs would allow me to go without hurting too much. It wasn't very fast. I screamed as someone walked out of the forest ahead of me and caught me by the shoulders.

"Alice, calm down!"

"M…Maurice." I gasped.

"Yeah, who else?" He said uncomfortably, taking a few things from my hands. "I was just on my way down to find you. It's been a while since you left, we were getting worried."

"I thought you were…never-mind." I finished, remembering my vow from earlier. "I can carry those. I don't need help." He looked surprised.

"R-really?!" Maurice smiled weakly, "Are you sure? I can help, really, it's no big deal…" He looked almost sad as I retrieved the fruit from him.

"I don't need help." I repeated quietly. He shrugged and headed back up the tree-covered mountainside.

"Ok then. See you in a minute." And he was off. I was really close to calling him back, of not to help then for the company on my travel. However, I managed to keep my mouth shut and tough it out on my own. After all, it was always what I'd done before; even before I'd met everyone on the island. I'd always been alone, I'd always be alone. That was just what I lived with. By the time I reached the plateau on the mountain top however, I was completely out of breath. If it continued this way, I would definitely need to exercise more.

"Well hello there, sweetheart." Roger greeted jokingly, "Good to see the sharks didn't get you."

I ignored his rude jests and just tried to keep my footing, balancing the food wrapped in leaves in my hands and the bucket full of water in my jaws. I winced with the effort, and started to topple to the side a bit. Determined to not look foolish in front of them, I took in a deep breath and prepared to walk the last few steps.

Big mistake.

My foot caught on a rock and I fell forward, crashing into the ground. The food rolled out of my grasp and was probably no worse for wear. The bucket had been spilled along with a bit of my blood. My chin stung from the impact, as well as my knees. My teeth hurt too; holding the bucket during the fall had done quite a number on them. I heard a sizzled and my heart dropped. It couldn't be…no!

"Nice going, darling." Roger mocked, "You put out the fire! Geez, when blondie sees this he's going to shit bricks." He made a 'tsk'ing noise with his tongue. I looked up from the ground. The wounds had brought tears to my eyes and closed up my throat. Maurice saw me and rushed over.

"I told you I could help!" He scolded, helping me to my feet, "Sometimes I don't understand you, Alice."

"Make that all the time!" Roger jested further, not bothering to even move. I brushed off the dirt from my scrapes and helped gather what remained of the lunch. Guilt and worry gnawed through my innards, so when they finally sat down to eat, I didn't care to join in.

"Hey," Roger directed at me, although he didn't look my way. His mouth was full of food, so I guess he was only trying to attempt good manners. "Don't be so down about the whole fire thing. We'll fix it later. I doubt a ship's gonna come anyway, so there's really nothing to be sad about."

"Yeah," Maurice smiled genuinely, "No use crying over spilt tea."

"I know." I whimpered.

"Does that mean you're going to eat?" Roger suggested, "Because honestly I haven't seen you eat a single thing since we crashed on this goddamn island."

"Watch your mouth." I grimaced angrily.

"Make me." He bit at me and continued to eat, chin slightly up. It was becoming clear that no matter how many times I attempted to be nice to this boy, we would never be friends. Not to say that we'd be enemies either. We just wouldn't have a conversation where we didn't fight or he didn't make fun of me.

"Never mind him, Alice." Maurice gently said, reminding me of the first day. "He's right though, you really should eat something."

"Never mind him, Alice!" Roger mocked in a high-pitched voice, "You should eat something! Like my-"

This earned Roger a smack to the back of the head. He laughed devilishly. Maurice looked peeved. I vaguely wondered what he was about to say, but cut the thought short when my stomach growled. Ok, so maybe I was a little hungry. I picked up a mango and started to eat. Shellfish had never agreed with me.

"So, when do we stop watching the 'fire'?" Roger put fire in air quotes. I blushed.

"Whenever we get tired of it I suppose." Maurice shrugged, still upset about Roger's last comment.

"So, whenever we're done eating here, I think I'm gonna hang out by the beach for a while." Roger announced to no one in particular. I think he knew that no one cared, because it was quite obvious that Maurice wasn't enthusiastic with spending time on the beach with him, and as he said before, I _was_ pretty dense. So, if he was insinuating something vulgar, I couldn't really tell. "How about you, _Alice_?" He sneered, "Do you want to join me?"

"Not in your dreams, Roger." Maurice frowned. I laughed for the first time in a while. Their banter was getting ridiculous.

The two boys stared curiously. I stopped laughing and tensed up, uncomfortable under their glances.

"Wh-what are you staring at?!" I exclaimed, louder than I usually would. If there was anything that unsettled me, it was people staring at me.

"You're laugh is very cute." Roger smiled. It was most likely fake.

"No need to be embarrassed." Maurice excused for me, "Sorry."

"N-no problem." I put on a straight face, "Anyway, I'll probably just walk about somewhere. Nothing fancy. I need to stretch my legs."

Roger laughed darkly about some inside joke apparently only he knew.

"Maurice can help you with that." He smirked. Maurice turned bright red.

"He…can?" I asked.

"Oh, shut up." Maurice finally broke in, covering part of his face with the collar of his shirt. "Alice, let's blow this popsicle stand. Before Roger infects your mind any more than he already has done with mine." He sighed and dragged me up to my feet. I frowned. What was he talking about?

"Oh, that's not the only thing you'll be blowing!" Roger shouted back, sticking a banana in and out of his mouth.

"Shut up already, man!" Maurice retorted, "That's disgusting!"

"You bet it is!" Roger waved and smiled too wide to be natural as we left, "Have fun, Alice! And don't forget, I'm here all week! Thanks for coming!"

"I'm glad he doesn't run stand-up comedy." Maurice muttered under his breath, "He would probably get banned from the tellie anyway."

"What was he talking about?" I asked curiously.

Maurice froze and laughed. "Don't worry about it. Roger's just being gross."

"Oh. Ok."

Just as said, I forgot all about it.

…**..**

**I was going to combine the next chapter with this one, but it just seemed a little too long, so I didn't. :P **

**I hope you guys liked it, I really do. Sorry about Roger's sick sense of humor.**

**THANKS FOR READING! EVEN THOUGH COCOLADA I THINK IS THE ONLY ONE WHO ACTUALLY ENJOYS IT, BUT THAT'S OKAY. I STILL LIKE WRITING IT!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! THANKS FOR READING!**


	6. Chesire Fur

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER SIX: Cheshire Fur

I doubt anything could be as calm as a rest in the sun. The waves sang a lullaby, beckoning me to the sleep I hadn't taken the night before. Suddenly a splash of water hit me across the cheek and roused me from my fantasies. The boy named Piggy next to me scolded them for it.

"Stop hurling water out of the pool." He said, "You're getting us all wet."

"My bad." Simon apologized with a smile, climbing out of the shallow rock basin the boys had been swimming in. Luckily, they all had the sense to keep their shorts on in the presence of a lady.

"Don't be a suck-up Simon!" Maurice laughed, "They should both get in the water too!"

"They don't have to." Simon retorted, shaking out his hair like a dog. The rock was showered in darker colored blotches where the water had fell upon it. I shielded my face from the drops. Simon began to put the rest of his uniform back on, as if he could sense our uncomfortableness, at least mine and Piggy's.

"I don't know how to swim." I stated plainly, closing my eyes again and resting my scraped chin on my knees.

"You really should learn how then." Ralph suggested, "Maybe not now, but certainly sometime. For your own safety."

"Mm…maybe later." As of now, I didn't have the strength to do much of anything. I sighed wistfully between my teeth, letting out a keen, low whistle.

"Suit yourself." Maurice snorted, "But the water's perfect."

I ignored them for the moment. Simon and Piggy were on either side of me now, chatting idly about clouds and the weather. They were the masters of small talk. Eventually, even Ralph hauled himself from the water, dripping wet, and joined in on the conversation. Maurice was the only one left. He huffed a gusty sigh and blew bubbles in the water.

Suddenly, Ralph jolted up. I opened my eyes at the movement. He was standing by the edge of the rock face, looking out at the vast blue horizon, holding his shirt. I frowned.

"What do you see, Ralph?" Piggy asked.

"There's a ship." He whispered, just barely audible. But I caught it. Maurice shot a horrified glance at me, but said nothing. I buried my face in my dress and tried to hide the fact that I looked utterly mortified. What were the chances, really? Substantial, considering it was me who put the fire out. I scuffled my feet along the ground. Some of the boys started cheering, and I heard Maurice get out of the water. I stayed utterly still. If I didn't move, maybe they would forget about me.

"Is there any smoke?!" Piggy shouted, "Ralph?!"

"Damnit…Damnit!" I heard Ralph say. He brushed past me as he blundered into the jungle in search of the fire. Everyone else started after him. Once sure everyone was gone, I started after him as well. My progression through the forest was slow and meandering, but I made it through alright. I only managed to sustain minor cuts from thorns.

"There was a ship and you let the bloody fire go out!" I heard Ralph shout once near enough to the top. I shrunk back, peering over the edge of the cliff face. Ralph faced off against Jack and his hunters, with only Simon in-between them, bearing a horrified expression. I shook at the sight of Jack, face painted and grimly disguised for his hunt. My hands gripped the side of the mountain tighter.

"I'm sorry." Jack said when I started paying attention to the conversation again. The hunters, at least some of them, clapped. I saw that Roger had joined Jack's group somewhere along the way, and was muttering something to Maurice. Barely perceptible, I thought for just a moment that their eyes flickered to me. But, it couldn't be. They didn't know I was here.

"Sorry doesn't bring the ship back! And meat won't bring the ship back either!" Ralph shouted, getting closer to Jack in a menacing way.

Simon tried to intervene at this point. "Now, there's no need for fighting, you two!" He warned. Ralph backed up a bit with a nod towards Simon.

"Fine. Meeting. Now." Ralph ordered. A cold tone had crept into his voice when nobody had noticed, and I shivered at it. Sensing that this confrontation was over, I dropped back down onto the ledge below. Unfortunately, I misjudged the drop and fell onto my ankle, twisting it at an awkward angle. I cupped my hands over my mouth, fighting the urge to scream out. What didn't come from my lips forced its way out of my eyes.

"I can't believe this." I heard a menacing voice sneer, "He honestly thinks that stupid fire is my fault…what the hell…what the hell!" It sounded angry.

"Just forget about it Jack." Maurice's voice said, shaking, "I'm sure it's nothing big."

"Mm." Roger sighed. He really didn't say much around Jack, did he?

"I just can't believe…Hey, aren't you two coming to the meeting?!" Jack yelled. There was a slight rustling in the trees near me. I froze.

"Yeah, in a minute. We just have to check on something real quick." Maurice laughed, "We found…er…a dead bird. Earlier, when we were on watch. We wanted to check if it's decomposed or anything."

"Cool." Jack commented drily. "Well, see ya."

"Yeah." Maurice breathed, "See you later."

As they pushed through the undergrowth, I jumped. My heart couldn't take much more of this. One of these days, I was going to die of a heart attack. I sighed in relief as I realized that it was just Roger and Maurice.

"Hey there, darling." Roger mocked, "Find any sharks yet?"

"Shut up, Roger. This is serious." Maurice scolded, holding out his hand for me to get up. I refused it and instead found holds in the rock to pull myself to my feet. They looked at me in disbelief.

"Alice, are you ok? I mean…you've been acting pretty strange since we got here." Maurice worriedly asked. I fixed him with a soft gaze.

"You never knew me before." I smiled weakly.

"No…but…"

"Leave her be, Maurice." Roger warned gently, "She'll come around on her own time."

Maurice frowned and started to walk back into the jungle trees. Roger watched him go solemnly, breathing in deep, then turning back to me. I gripped the rock as tight as I could. After my first encounter with the mysterious boy, I'd always been leery of being alone with him. His unpredictable nature made me nervous. Right now…he looked okay. I guess. I wasn't a very good judge of character though.

"You do realize," He said, straight-faced and serious for once, "That there are people here trying to hurt you. There are people who would kill to have you all for themselves. And then there are others…like Maurice…that just want to see you happy."

"Which category do you fall under?" I said, scrunching up my face a bit. The breaths still hitched in my chest, and I hadn't quite caught them back yet. My heart just wouldn't stop running. Roger smiled in thought at my question, making sure to examine every inch of me with meticulous speculation.

"I'm not quite sure yet myself." He answered honestly, shrugging, "I'll do whatever benefits me most, Alice. And, at least at the moment, helping Maurice won't kill anyone."

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't like you." I said aloud.

"You shouldn't." He smirked, "That's a common thing with being me, not many people like being around me, especially not alone. That's why helping Maurice capture your heart is of benefit to me. I get to build relationships that will benefit me even further in the future."

"So you're just pretending to be his friend?" I accused. Well, not really accused. Nothing I said ever sounded menacing, so I was really rather stating the facts.

"Not pretending. Just over doing things for a while. Maurice and I have always been friends." Roger answered back.

"So…I can trust you then?"

"…For now." Roger smiled, offering his arm, "Now, milady, I do believe you have a meeting to get to." Cautiously, I wrapped one of my arms around his. He pulled me the rest of the way up and acted as my crutch for the rest of the trip to the meeting place. I noticed, however, that he wouldn't stop to rest, even when I was clearly hurting and out of breath. It was as if…he enjoyed seeing me in pain. From the corner of my eye, I even saw him smile crookedly. His hair covered his eyes though, so I couldn't judge what he was really thinking.

I wondered briefly what he meant about Maurice.

Did he really like me that much?

I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment.

When finally we made it back to the beachfront, I detached myself from Roger, bowed in thanks, and picked my own way onto the sand. He laughed without humor and followed. I saw Maurice sitting in the grass near the stone we deemed as the meeting place, and decided against sitting next to him. Instead, I sat farthest away from the group. Maurice shot Roger and I a strange look, but said nothing.

The meeting started, and as usual I didn't pay attention. It went by almost seamlessly and silently, with only small quarrels between Jack and Ralph and everyone else. And, also per the usual, it ended with Jack marching off in a storm. I reminded myself not to get in his way as a chill ran up my spine.

Simon, Piggy, Ralph and I were the only ones left. I stayed on the platform, limping over and sitting a bit closer. There was a littlun whimpering at their feet.

"You got to be chief, Ralph!" Simon urged, "If you're not…If Jack becomes chief, everything will go to chaos!"

"Yeah!" Piggy broke in, "What about us and Alice, Ralph? You know he's never liked us…and he's been gossiping around the whole island about what he tried to do to her."

"He…talks about that…" I whispered, stroking the crying boy's hair. Simon looked down suddenly.

"So, I assume it was more than a rumor then?" He asked quietly.

"…yes." I answered. It felt good to get it off my chest. Yet…somehow…I felt as if I should have told Maurice first. Roger certainly would already know. He was getting closer to Jack by the day. Although, with my new information about the mysterious fellow, it was probably only because Roger benefitted from the relationship; it was really…curious.

"Sorry." Piggy apologized. Ralph remained uncomfortably silent.

"It's not your fault. I should have known better." I brushed it off. It was all was all water under the bridge now.

"You should try to stay near to camp from now on." Ralph warned me with a dark glance. "Don't go off on your own anymore, Alice. You never do know who…or what…is out there."

I really wasn't listening to his words.

Thinking back on my past mistakes, I probably should have.

…

**End of chapter six!**

**BTW…school is starting up again after my brief thanksgiving break, so I'll be updating only one fanfiction once a day from now on. **

**REVIEW RESPONSE TIME! (That's right. I'm bringing this back. Deal with it.)**

_**Cocomelonkatzelada**_

**Cocolada, thanks for reviewing again! I love your dedication! And, as you have suggested, I posted the second part! :D**

_**Daspartanreviewer**_

**No, Alice is not gay. Keep in mind, she just turned thirteen, and it's been said many times that she's extremely dense and zones out a lot. She's also hopelessly silent at the most important times~~ C: Your comment made me laugh for quite a bit of time though. Thanks for taking the time to read and review!**

**Alright, THANKS FOR READING EVERYBODY! PLS REVIEW! LUVS~~CUDDLES~~~**

**Shout out to Fangakat, my best friend who just turned sixteen today! CONGRATZ, YOU'RE OLD NOW! Haha, but seriously, fang, it sucks being 16. XD don't listen to the movies and books. It's definitely not as glamorous as they make it out to be!**

**Or maybe that's just my introvert self.**

**Anyway, bye!**


	7. What the Dormouse Said

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER SEVEN: What the Dormouse Said

I slept where I was, not daring to travel out, alone, in the night. My dreams were at times lurid, sometimes vivid, depictions of fields full of bright orange blooms. A sickly sweet scent, tangible here as in real life, drifted through the air. Suddenly, the grass dropped from beneath me. I didn't know how long I fell. The waking world flitted behind my eyes; yet still I fell down. And down and down and down.

The new ground caught me in shadowy tendrils, lowering me back to a dreamscape's floor. I was in my old room again. There were still no lights. However, the candle had tipped and its flame had spread amongst to floral curtains. It didn't dare go any further than there, and didn't show any signs of disobeying its invisible master.

"Alice." A voice vibrated, crooning in my ears. I gasped in surprise and turned around, looking for the source of the sound. Nobody was there.

"Where are you?!" I screamed, "Who are you?!" My voice was wisped off into the air as echoes; faded and grey.

"I'm out here. I'm Charisma, Alice, your friend!" She hissed. Her voice seemed to be coming from everywhere. It rang in my head, filled me to breaking. The room started to bend in alarming ways, distorting space. I let out a ghastly scream, one that didn't sound like it belonged to me. The room picked it up as well, echoing it back forever.

"No, here! Look, Alice, look over here! Heeheehee! Looky!" The voice came from different places now, making me feel…insane.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my wrist.

"STOP IIIITT!" I shrieked, sitting up. At least, for that moment, I felt I was. It was just the island, the waves crashing against the shore. The littlun was gone…but something was still tightly wrapped around my wrist. I tugged it away. A hand appeared in a flash and pulled me across the rock by my ankle. It cracked, a side effect of my fall from yesterday. However, I managed to keep my mouth shut. At least until I saw my grabber's face. Why was it that, so far, every nightmare had been pregnant with another one?! Was the waking world that much worse?! It couldn't be! Just this one person…

"Shhhh." Jack smiled, nose to nose with me now. I shrieked and tried kicking him away. In turn, he clamped his hand over my mouth and restrained me with ease; I'd definitely grown weaker since we first dropped in, from lack of food and sleep alike. Terror and panic froze me in place, coursing through me like white water. Hopefully someone had heard me scream! The camp was right there! Someone had to have heard me!

"Stop squirming!" he accused, "You didn't act like this earlier, Alice." He fixed me with an ice blue gaze, just as terrifying as his voice. I started to hyperventilate. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening, this wasn't happening! I couldn't stop shaking, I couldn't breathe properly. This had to be another nightmare; just a nightmare and nothing more. But, no, as I felt his hands sliding off my dress straps I knew it was real. It felt too scary to be fake.

I tried screaming against his hand, but nothing came through. He grinned at me.

"You know, being on this island isn't so bad." He laughed, "being around Roger so much, you should be used to this sort of thing by now, right, Alice?"

I gasped as his dead weight fell on me, right after the sound of an impact. When I finally calmed down enough to realize that Jack had passed out, I pushed him off of me and struggled to my feet, still trembling with anxiety and cold. I readjusted my dress. When I looked up finally, I saw Simon, a large piece of driftwood gripped between his fingers.

"Alice, are you okay?" He asked worriedly, "I was just coming back from a…a walk, when I saw…_this_."

"I-I-I'm fine," I stuttered, moving away from Jack's still form. He was still breathing, so thankfully he wasn't dead. I don't think I'd ever be able to live with myself if someone died because of me. "I just…I shouldn't sleep anymore. I don't…don't know what to do…"

"Walk with me for a while, alright?" Simon offered, moving some hair out of his face. Since we got to the island, he'd burned awfully bad. His skin was peeling like crazy. "It's better than staying out here alone, and I promise I won't hurt you." He held out his hand. I hesitated a moment, evaluating my options. It not like I had anything better to do…I took his hand gratefully and he pulled me along, paying mind to my still-injured gait.

The forest at night was a scary place, riddled with insect noises and creature noises I had never even heard before. Things rustled in the undergrowth, sending me jumping. I was still reeling, trying to cope with the fact that Jack Merridew was out for my virginity. The term caught me off guard. Ew.

Simon, meanwhile, didn't seem the least bit bothered by my jumpiness. He just continued on, reassuring me when needed, coaxing me forth. I thought it awfully suspicious at first, but then realized he would never do something like that. He was…different than the rest. I wish I'd had a brother like him, to keep me safe instead of…my sibling and I didn't get along.

He led me to a meadow.

A small clearing opened up, filled with beautiful flowers of all colors and little sleepy insects of many hues. Yes, even orange ones, just like from my dream before. My mouth dropped open in awe. I forgot quickly about my fears. It was gorgeous here, absolutely lovely.

"How's it look?" Simon asked, sitting down in the middle. A shaft of moon light filtered in through the leaves above, sparkling him with silver. I smiled and sat down also.

"It's good." I answered. He turned his head to the side.

"You know," He started, "I just realized something."

"Hm?"

"You hang out sometimes around us, Alice. And we're even trying to protect you…" Simon puzzled himself over something for a minute before continuing, "But, we don't really know a lot about each other."

"So, what do you want to know?" I offered. I didn't mind talking to Simon. He was like the kind older brother I never had, someone I could trust.

"What was your family like, Alice?" He asked, "You said you had to move away from your mum and da. Why?"

I thought for a moment. That was a question I really didn't like to answer. But, I suppose I could make an exception this time around. After all, holding secrets wasn't going to help my case at all.

"I…I had a sister." I began uneasily, glancing at the surrounding foliage for a moment, "She was…unstable around me. She was jealous, I guess. At least, that's what my aunt said. Jealous because I was more beautiful than she was…"

Simon laughed lightly. "What was so bad about her that you had to move away?"

"She tried to murder me."

"…"

"What was her name?" He quietly questioned. I smiled weakly.

"It doesn't really matter. That's not mine to give away." I breathily replied. "So, what's your family like, Simon?"

"My father died in the war a long time ago…and my mother is fighting cancer." He admitted, "But she was in remission when I first left on the plane, so I've got my hopes up. She escaped London on one of the first transports with my little sister. She's only five."

"I wish I was her." I wistfully sighed, "She's pretty lucky to have you as a brother."

"Not really." Simon chuckled, "But, I tell you what, if it means anything to you, I can be your brother while we're on this island. Or, at least act like I am. You know, keep those rascally punks away!" He jabbed at the air with his fists and almost fell backwards. I laughed and he laughed with me.

"I'd really like that." I responded truthfully. I needed someone like him to talk to…I might explode if I didn't have that connection.

As the sun started to rise on the horizon, and the fire on the mountain faded in with similar hues, Simon and I headed back to the camp. I was worried that Jack might recognize him…but he had insisted that Jack hadn't seen him, so I was set at ease for the moment. We emerged back onto the sand, and a crowd that had developed around the beach turned our way.

"Alice!" Maurice broke away, "We were all so worried!" He pulled me into a hug, which I duly resisted. When he let go, I saw Simon give me a strange look before bounding off once again. "Guess what, Alice." Maurice joked coolly, "I was so tired this morning that I fell out of the fruit trees! Look," He revealed a bruise on his elbow and laughed, "Now we both have bruises!"

"Yeah, I guess we do." I said curiously.

As the group dissipated, most to do the regular chores like collecting water and hunting, I was left to my own devices. Simon had fire guard, Maurice and Roger were out with Jack hunting, Ralph was doing whatever Ralphs did. I had nothing better to do than sit on the beach and stare at my own feet, keeping busy the countless littluns that ran about. One, the littlest that had been crying the night before, sat on my lap and laced little necklaces out of grass and shells. I tried my best to soak up the weak rays of the sun; clouds hovered precariously above head, putting into check the warmth we usually had. I shivered.

Something was coming.

…

**HEYEA.**

**Finished it. Finally. Now off too download the instrumental version of The Only Exception by Paramore for a project I'm doing in Bible Class. **

**CURSE YOU STUPID PROJECT! ARGH!**

**Anyway, REVIEW RESPONSE TIME!  
COCOLADA~~**

**Agh! Get rid of your writer blocks! THOSE SUCK ASDGIHRWIHAET!**

**And Christmas break is coming soon! I completely forgot…uhh…yeah. That's not saying much considering that I'm a person who legitly thought CHESNUTS were roasted over a fire with STICKS. Dafuq man. I always thought that was right! Y?!  
And yes, I will try to update soon. :D**

**Alice/Roger? I PREPARED FOR THIS VERY MOMENT! I ALWAYS ASSUMED THAT YOU WOULD ASSUME THAT I PAIR EVERY SINGLE OC WITH HIM. HE IS AWESOME, HOWEVER THIS FIC MIGHT NOT GO THAT WAY. I'M NOT GIVING AWAY ANY INFO YET. **

**That's top secret…XD**

**Oh, and yes. Maurice may be acting slightly different than usual because HE'S IN LUVS. Or at least the thinks so XD**

**ANYWAY, THX FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. The Sky Speaks in Tongues

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER EIGHT: The Sky Speaks in Tongues Not Even I Can Understand, The World Dances In the Beat of Old Playing Cards.

I don't know how many days, weeks even, passed since the first idle days. Often times, when I had nothing better to do, I would spend my times with Maurice and Roger in the jungle or on the mountain, marveling at the endless, churning grey sky and watching as Roger fixed playthings with the dust; a whip fashioned from fraying vines and splinters of wood. It seemed the sky wasn't the only thing darkening these days. Lately, Roger seldom talked. When he did, it was only threats and poison flowing from his lips; an endless stream of hatred and confusion…I don't know why he was confused. I heard him often mutter in his sleep about it, about the confusion and 'what should he do' and 'what am I after all', those sort of things. Lately, he'd stopped. Lately, the miniature terrorist he'd become had started to scare me, in that way that makes you stay up all night for fear someone would walk in your room and kill you. It was a fear I tried hard to bury, along with the hatchet.

"Preparation," He had said once when I asked him what it was about, "I must prepare. Something strange is happening here."

So, I hadn't been the only one to notice. There had been a shift in the attitude lately, a shift in the glances, a shift in the way we moved. We were no longer as carefree as we used to be. The storm loomed overhead, but it refused to break; instead, it only teased and jeered at us, flaunting its gloom and shouting its thunder. I never quite understood, whenever I thought upon it, why it had decided to wait and torture us more. It withheld its saving sustenance from us, and it withheld its rage. It was not being kind, but it was not being angry. I frankly didn't know what it was, if it was not one or the other, then what was it? Slowly, I turned my gaze upon it and all its doomful glory. The air above cast fleeting shadows on my expression, a reflection of the clouds that coated the sky, like snow, above. Roger and Maurice looked up from their business and looked over my face carefully; I could feel their stares, but chose to remain oblivious.

"What're you looking at, Alice?" Maurice queried with a smile.

I raised my hand a little, trying to feel for rain that might have been falling, but coming up dry. There was no response forthcoming in my mind, only wonder. I'm sure it mirrored in my eyes, luminous against the sky's hue and wide with fascination. Not once did I look away. The sky held all of my attention.

"There are changes in this world we cannot fathom." Roger picked up for me, also gazing up, but just slightly; not with his face but with his eyes. "There are no ways we can learn to see them, but some are born with this ability…to see the world change. I've never doubted that Alice can see the spectrum of this earth."

Peculiar. Those words seemed too deep for him, too wide of a gap to bridge from his mind to the greater view of things. I parted my lips just slightly, tasting the air for rain and trying to find words to explain what I was feeling. There were none in existence I knew of.

"She's just waiting for the revelations." Roger finished. Maurice and I remained silent, and we were all once more plunged into desolation.

The sky above my head, right in my line of sight, surely did seem to be speaking to me at that moment. All around me, invisible channels seemed to unravel and swirl around me in passages of light, sliding through the clouds, piercing the gray, floating up into the stratosphere above. Up there, it was quite and calm, but still looming down below were the threats of our civility, the small crumbling world we had built ourselves up in. Some below conspired, some below were fitful of nightmares of beasts and savage things, some below were simply trying to get by. As the pilot above maneuvered through these planes, I'm sure he saw it too. Or did he? Did he have the same insight as I? Did we share that thing? Is that why I was able to sense his presence above, even if I didn't know at the time that it was indeed a pilot and a plane?

The dark soon descended on us. At night, for the majority of the times, I stayed around Maurice in the tents. I didn't want to be on my own, and I surely wasn't going to risk sleeping next to anyone else. Except, occasionally, when the nights came where sleep was not withstanding and nightmares of Charisma and my old life gave me bleary delusions of solitude, I would wander into the woods and meet brother there. By brother, I mean Simon, of course. He never slept in the shelters or on the beach, but much preferred to be alone with sometimes only my company. There, I would lay by his knees as he gazed up into the sky and drift back to sleep. The sickly sweet scent of the orange honey blossoms would lull me into sweet dreams, back into wonderland. It was a nice trickery, the kind you longed for in a place as dark as the midnight moon. That was the only time they bloomed, was at midnight.

Tonight, I could not sleep. Even when I went to the meadow, I could not sleep. I tossed and turned in the grass, glancing at Simon and then back to the sky again. Even he had long since drifted asleep. So, why was I awake? I usually found sleep easy, especially since I was so 'dense' to the dangers around me, and never seemed to sense at all the looming perils that lay ahead. For a while, I lay on my back and stared at the sky. I hadn't stopped thinking about it today. The noise I heard before in the clouds, when I had been with Roger and Maurice…that had been no roar of thunder nor the clap of lightening nor the tumble of a boulder on the mountain. It sounded like…sounded like…

The last thing I saw before my flower-induced sleep was the illumination of the clouds above as a plane unloaded its cargo and tumbled into the oblivion beyond, meeting up with my leviathan in the sea.

…

**It has been SO LONG since I updated this. For anybody who was actually enjoying Alice and her adventures, I'm dearly sorry D: It's just…I got caught up in so many other projects and such…and then things happened…and then….and then…you know, the old song and dance. I'm just going to cut the crap (And the excuses) and get to the AN already, gogdangit. And yes, I meant to type GOG. Deal with it~**

**So, if you're reading this now that means you were reading my fic. THANKS! No seriously, thank you guys for that. This definitely isn't the best thing I've written and if you would read and review, that would mean a lot to me!**

**And, for the people who have already reviewed:**

**REVIEW RESPONSE TIME!**

**FreedomWriter15~~**

**Oh, you have no idea how much your review meant. I was actually thinking of deleting this story when you reviewed. I mean, at least until I could re-evaluate and see what else I could do with it. YOU SAVED THIS FIC! Especially since, you know, I haven't exactly been that inspired of late. Thanks for reviewing though! I hope you keep reading and really enjoy it! I aim to get anyone who reads my fics deeply, emotionally connected to anything that might happen or anyone who comes in. So, I hope I''m succeeding C: **

**Also, I updated CX**

**So, thanks for reading! **

**SEE YA LATER! Or write you later, but you know what I meant, so…yeah. Oh, and on another note, I have set up my deviantart account! You might have heard about that if you read really early into AP or Epic Party Time; I had some doodles lyin' around. Well, they're gonna be up there as soon as I can get them up…yup. Not the best quality though, I'm just warnin' you. If you really want to see, my account there is posted on my profile page. Thanks!**

**Bye!**


	9. Symphony

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER NINE: I Hear the Music of A Thousand Screams and It Sounds Like A Symphony to Me.

We'd all heard before of the beast, that dreadful thing that haunted us all on the island. I knew more of it than any other; I would've liked to think, because of my dreams. Maybe Charisma was the beast; maybe we each had our own personal beast that tormented our daily lives and gave us nightmares at bed time. How was one to know?

However, when the threat of the beast was very imminent and so close, we just couldn't take it anymore. All I remember is everyone running, everyone screaming and crying as the twins told their tale and the monster broke free from the swaying trees of the forest. And then, like magic, I started my journey. Not a physical journey, no, but one where I stayed entirely in one place for the entirety of it, and simply had revelations of the mind and soul and heart. There were certain perplexities I found in my hallucinations. The thing I saw when I started, for instance. The only real-world memory I had at the time to hold on to was running, the cutting of the branches as I ran, and the place I ran to; the safe haven that was the meadow. Simon wasn't there, but the flowers were. They offered me comfort in between bouts of euphoria, and drugged me with their strange, cloying scent. They were blurry when I saw them, and often sideways or upside-down…but at least they were there.

When I woke for the first time, it was in a dream. My house was burning, and I was trapped in my bedroom with the tipped candle so mocking me that it hurt. Charisma was not to be seen or heard, but I could feel her presence; an awful taunt.

I began to scratch vainly at the door. It didn't feel like a dream to me.

"HELP!" I screamed, "PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME! THERE'S A FIRE! FIRE!"

But nobody came, there was only silence and the rumble of the flames. They cracked and growled for my flesh. Then, suddenly, one roared louder than the others and I snapped out of the fever-dream. I sat upright, clutching my chest and trying to see the world in a way that made sense and could be told as rational. But there was nothing. I could only make out the vague outline of a reflection of myself as I fell back under the flower's spell.

This time around, I was underwater and could not breathe. I could feel the edges of the wash tub with my hands and feet, graze their ridged surface, and I could see the light filtering above me, blocked partially by the shadow of something I deemed sinister. However, I couldn't go up. I struggled for freedom, gasped in the water, but a hand was holding me down. Then, just like before, a clap of thunder from the outside world brought me back to a bleak, waning reality in which everything was fleeting and nothing was actually there for me to hold onto. One time, I heard voices, but they were quickly drowned out by the pounding of my own head.

I don't know how many times, or for how long, this continued. It felt like forever that I lived in this detached world of mine, alone and wishing for company; when I got it, the company was always Charisma and her too-wide smile, whispering in my ear of things I should do in the future, things that would happen. I tried to ignore her…I tried so hard…but there was one thing that stuck with me as I gradually came to for the last time, loosely gripping the dry grass below for support.

"Hide."

So I did. I ran into the bushes at the edge of the meadow and almost stomped right on top of Simon, who was already there. I swore under my breath for being so clumsy as I crashed to the ground. Then, I re-thought it. Oops. It wasn't nice to swear…Roger must've been rubbing off on me.

"Are you alright?" Simon whispered, "It's a good thing you woke up just now; I was about to go fetch you."

"I'm…fine. I think. What happened?" I asked curiously.

"I think you were seizing or something." Simon said in frustration, "You were all twitchy and were muttering about things to yourself."

"Oh." I whispered. That had surely never happened before. However, I kept this to myself. No need to worry my brother. "Why are we hiding?" I briskly changed the subject, for lack of anything better to say. Also, I was genuinely curious.

"The hunters." Simon said grimly.

"What?" I frowned.

"They formed their own group and probably would do some pretty awful things to us both if they saw us here, Alice." Simon explained quickly, filling me in. This must've been after I fled the scene, because this was also a revelation to me. "Jack hates me, and we both know…you know…"

"Yeah." I cut him off, trying to spare him of the discomfort. "That's okay."

My head was pounding as I peered up and out of the shrubbery with Simon, Just in time to see a group of familiar, masked faces parade through the other side, trampling over a few of the flowers and unleashing a sickly fog in their pursuit of some pink creature. They all covered their faces in wicked paint, like some death carnival. I covered my mouth with my hands to prevent myself from screaming, and quite possibly losing my lunch. The whole scene shook, as if its base was being vibrated. A deep, throing hum sounded bass in my ears. This all felt like another dream. A very real one, but distorted nonetheless. There was blood.

And a scream; I had to double check to make sure it wasn't mine. Before my very eyes, the boys in the meadow were enveloped in a red and black haze, their smiles curled unnaturally and their laughing cracked like glass. Then, there was that terrible wailing that perforated it all and the scent that still clung. I began to hyperventilate loudly. I turned to Simon in a wide-eyed trance, expecting to find solace in my brother…but he had changed too.

He tried to talk to me, I could tell, he tried to calm me down. He may have even been genuinely worried, but I couldn't tell at the moment. My head was spinning so fast I couldn't tell if anything was real. My heart threatened to explode out of my chest. What was wrong with me?!

"Just…hold…on…" I heard Simon whisper through the pain, "Alice…stay with me…"

That's the last thing I heard before I lost my mind and my consciousness.

…..

"Hey!" A strained muttering came through, at last. I moaned through parted lips. I felt a hand clamp over my mouth, and shot up. I was in the middle of the meadow, surrounded by the blood from some unknown origin. There was some rancid stink; it stung my nose. "Thank God you're awake. Alice, you have to get out of here."

"Hmph?!" I struggled against the hand by my mouth. When I looked for its owner, I was found with only Roger, giving me a stern look through his strangely colored eyes; they were like blood and mud mixed together in a strange cocktail. I calmed myself. He wouldn't hurt me, would he?

Would he?

"Meet up with Simon in the forest." Roger ordered sternly, "He left when he saw the blood. He really wanted to stay, honestly, he did. Maurice didn't know you were here."

I pushed his hand away, groaning with the effort when he resisted. He wouldn't let me go.

"Stop, Alice!" Roger whispered through his teeth, "Dammit, Jack will hear you! He's probably close by here, you know!"

"I don't care; let me go, let me go!" I shrieked, kicking and lashing out wildly, "Don't touch me! Get away!" Suddenly, I felt as if it was my first day here. Everything I had learned, everything I knew, it all had been stripped away. Roger was made mysterious and dangerous; especially the paint that he'd put on his face and torso. It curved up on his lips, making him look like the joker, like he was smiling even as he looked at me in astonishment. Roger let go.

"What's wrong with you?" He said.

"I…I don't know…" I murmured, gripping my head. It was still pounding. I had to go find Simon, I reminded myself. I painstakingly pushed myself to my feet and wobbled away, not making it two feet from the place I had been laying before crumpling to my knees again. Gripping the grass for support, I stared in wonder at a small, orange flower, smashed into the dust. Its scent wrapped around me, granting me, if for just one moment, a satisfactory peace and reign on reality.

"…Roger." I finally asked, even though I'd been wondering it for a while now, in the back of my mind. "Why are you here?"

"I couldn't just leave you here." He scoffed, "Anyone would've done the same thing."

"What are your motivations though?" I tried to explain what I thought, now that my head was cleared, "You have to have some…you told me so yourself, that you never do something that won't benefit you."

"…"

When he didn't answer, I scooped up the water and tucked it away in the ribbon of my dress, right at my waist. I breathed in deep and started in the woods, dragging my feet and abandoning all stealth. I didn't need his help, I told myself, he would just hurt me in the end; just like he would with Maurice…and probably with countless others too.

"Simon!" I weakly called, "Simon!" Above me, the sky cracked with thunder and the first few drops of rain began to fall. I looked up with dull eyes, measuring the clouds in a gaze. If there was any wisdom there, I couldn't see it. Tiredly, I started forward again. "Simon!"

I don't know how long this went on. It seemed as if time had no influence over my life anymore, and it made no difference to me whether or not it passed. It got darker, and the rain poured buckets over my head and thin frame. I shivered and coughed as I made my slow progress up the mountain. Maybe he was there.

By the time I got there, it was storming so hard I could barely see my hand in front of me. The rain thundered in my ears, running into the bursts of lightening.

"Simon!" I screamed into the dark. There was no response. Something fluttered in front of me. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. I was drenched, I was so freezing cold that I felt as if my bones and blood had frozen solid, I was alone, and there was absolutely no way I could make it anywhere on my own. I began to sob on my hands and knees, though I didn't know why. Something broke out suddenly from the storm, bringing me back to myself, back to everything. It was a scream, not artificial like from before, but real; terrified.

It was Simon's…but it was so far away…

"SIMON!" I cried, "SIMON! I'M UP HERE! WHERE ARE YOU?! SIMON!"

I continued to cry like that until the flower's scent breached my nose once more and I blacked out. I was starting to wonder how many times I'd have to put up with this.

…

_"There's no beast!" Ralph insisted, "that's absolutely ridiculous, Jack! Stop going around scaring everybody!"_

_ Jack glared at Ralph with subdued fury. I shuddered, but remained seated. Nothing seemed to be going wrong at the moment, there was no threat here. I was safe on the island, I had to remind myself, and Jack was just lying. How could there be a beast? There was no beast…it was a lie._

_ "There was one, I saw her." Jack scoffed softly. Ralph whipped to face him._

_ "What?" He scathingly asked in dismay, "Are you trying to say this is all Alice's fault?!"_

_ "No!" Jack shouted, standing up, "I'm just saying it's a possibility! I saw a girl in the woods the other night! She was wearing almost the same dress Alice wears!"_

_ "That's so stupid!" Maurice interjected._

_ "Hm." Roger sighed. I looked up at the platform in awe. I was the subject of one of their conversations, and it didn't matter what the topic was, all that mattered was that it was happening. Nobody ever talked about me. I was too quiet._

_ "I don't mind if people think I'm the beast." I piped up, "I'm not one though."_

_ Ralph and Simon stared at me incredulously, where Jack just smirked in what I assumed was satisfaction. Maurice gripped my shoulder comfortingly. _

_ "I don't think you're any kind of beast." He smiled._

_ "Thanks." I frowned. Now that I knew what he thought of me, I didn't know if I could take our relationship the same anymore._

_ "There's more to it than that." Ralph stated adamantly, "There's absolutely no beast. This meeting is over."_

….

I woke up again, still on the mountain, the following morning. My flower had been waterlogged, and smothered to pulp. I heaved myself up, trying to regain my facilities.

What had happened?

I went back to the beach as quick as I could; taking advantage of the new silence that had spread throughout the forest. It was unsettling. A few hours ago, the woods had been crawling with activity and rain. But now, the ground felt as if it was as dry as if the rain had never fallen. I broke out of the jungle with relief. Something had been chasing me in there, I was sure of it.

Along the stretch of sand, I picked out the camp. I strode over, picking up the skirt of my dress as not to tear it or ruin it any more than it already had been. Four boys looked down at me from the platform as I approached, and I waved. They looked…shocked.

"Alice!" Ralph shouted, louder and angrier than I'd ever heard him, "Where the hell have you been?"

"What do you mean?" I gasped, halting in front of them, skidding up sand with my quick stop.

"You've been unaccounted for three days now."

"Oh." I muttered. Had it really been that long?

"Yes, we were all wondering-"

"-where you'd gone off to." Samneric, the twins, said. I still marveled at them. I frowned.

"Where's Simon?" I asked. It was what I'd been worried over when I first blacked out anyway. I might as well carry my purpose out to its full end, find the conclusion.

Ralph and Piggy exchanged a horrified look. Samneric retreated into the woods, murmuring something about getting more firewood.

"What?" I wondered.

"Well…uh…" Piggy stammered, "you…uh…see…you see, we…we saw it when it happened, but we really don't know what to say….Alice…"

"What?!" I demanded, suddenly in a panic, "What happened?"

"Alice," Ralph gently said, "Simon is dead. Roger killed him."

_ My whole world just seems to be crumbling away._


	10. The Looking Glass

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND  
CHAPTER TEN: THE LOOKING GLASS

My first instinct was to run, so I did. At first, I didn't know where I was going or how far I'd have to run on my burning legs to get there. But, it didn't matter. I was struck-through with sorrow to the very core. I was made nothing more than a hollow shell of a person, drifting through this stupid place with reckless abandon. There was no point in worrying about injuries or bruises or…

…..

_ "Momma!" A little girl wailed, "Momma, momma!"_

_ "What, sweetie?" an aged, but still young-looking woman crooned. In her arms, she held the smallest child; a little baby boy, just born not two days ago. The little girl at her thigh stood on tippy-toes to get a good look. "You're gonna wake tommy up."_

_ "Can't I see him, momma?" The girl persisted, "Please, momma, please?"_

_ "Okay, but be careful." The cautious mother admitted. She sat both of them down, and carefully handed the small child to the girl on the couch. Her face lit up with excitement; a verve so strong that it couldn't be equaled, a thrill of life in her hands. In the tiny, American living room, another girl, looking about the same age as the one holding the baby, played grudgingly with blocks on the carpet. She remained silent. Meanwhile, the girl on the couch re-adjusted herself in an attempt to get a little more comfortable. She stared, wide-eyed, at the sleeping child._

_ "He's so tiny." She whispered, brushing his little tuft of hair out of the way. "He's so beautiful."_

…

As I ran, I came to conclusions I'd pushed out of my mind before; things that I'd purposely driven from my conscious since we first crashed. One of the major themes was my own death. I had to come to terms with that now: that I was on borrowed time. I had always been on borrowed time. Order here was disintegrating, things were falling apart, and I couldn't rely on the boys any more for my protection. That wasn't their responsibility. After all, I might as well get my life over with while I still was in the know.

As I figured it, I had about two weeks, tops, to live.

….

_ The girl was worried. Little Tommy was sick, stricken ill with a fever. Her aunt would be here in a week with the proper medicine from England to cure him, but everyone fretted about the worst. Tommy just didn't have that much time to wait._

_ "Tommy's going to die, and then we'll be all alone again." The other sister often growled betwixt the passing night hours, "Just me and you, alone."_

_ "He won't die." The first sister grumbled. Tommy couldn't die. Not when he was so young. It wasn't fair._

_ "Yeah?" The other jeered, "And what good is a word gonna do? Just because everyone listens to you doesn't mean death will too. If you want him to live, you better do something about it."_

_ "…"_

_ But what was there to do?_

….

It was no matter to me whether it was any longer than that, or any less than I thought I had. After all, what was my time but its inglorious passing by? I was nothing anymore, and my life meant nothing too. I had no one waiting for me back home; my aunt was most likely dead, my parents didn't want me, and my sister had always wanted me dead anyway. Perhaps I had just been evading my fate all along. Perhaps, inside, I was already dead.

The fact of the matter was, I just didn't care anymore.

Eventually, I even came to the meadow, where a bloody clearing and a smiling pig's head on a stick were the only things that greeted me. There was no more Simon anymore. Not anymore.

Nothing was anymore.

…..

_ That evening, when the parents and the guests of the house were all having dinner, the little girl stood atop the loo and brushed out all of the drug cabinet. She sifted through the bottles, picking out certain pills and potions, and smashed them together to create a medical cocktail of her own._

_ Carefully, as to not disturb those waiting down in the dining loft below the rail of the second floor, she tiptoed back to her Brother Tommy's room and leaned over the crib. She had to stand on top of the rocking chair to reach him. As her hands urged the powder to his lips, he moaned in his sleep and stirred, cheeks blushed red with the fever. The doctor from down the street had come in and set up an IV drip and a heart monitor. However, because of the storm outside, he could never stay long. In addition to that, all his medicines were being used on the patients with Tuberculosis and typhus fever from the war. Daddy was stationed in the navy, in a place far away from here; a place called Pearl Harbor. It had been bombed back in the second war, and it served as a communications base now….whatever that was._

_ Urgently, the girl pried open Tommy's mouth and dumped the concoction into his throat. Shaking from the nervousness, she half stepped, half fell, off the rocking chair, and took her leave into the brightened hall way. _

…..

Something snapped in front of me. I looked up slowly, taking in what I thought I saw through bleary eyes.

"Charisma." I stated flatly, weakly. There was nothing else to say. She smiled at me and kneeled, toying with the head jammed on the stick. After a few moments of this, she plucked it up and placed it on her own head like a grisly mask, covering her smile with its toothy, crooked one.

"Why, hullo there, Alice!" She greeted cheerily, playing with the sunlight and faking a British accent; just to bother me, I thought. "It's jolly good to see you here today! How are you?"

"How, or what?" I darkly muttered, muffled by the fabric of my dress pressed up to my lips. I was crouching, huddled on the ground. The sobs had ceased long ago; I had no more tears left.

"A little bit of both I suppose." Charisma chided back, laying on her belly now and resting her chin…or rather, the hog's….on the back of her hands, swinging her legs to and fro.

"Then…I am nothing anymore."

"Nothing?!" Charisma exclaimed in surprise. Her voice echoed around in my head and in the pig skull as she stood up. It seemed an almost triumphant gesture. "Are you sure?"

"How can I not be?" I accused.

"Well then, that's good!"

….

_ Tommy McClellan died the following morning. He died without a middle name._

_ A certain younger sister, all too eager, quickly spread the news of what she'd seen through the crack in the boy's door the previous evening. She didn't want it to be this way. She didn't want her sister gone to a different country. She wanted her sister dead._

_ But for now, this would have to do._

_ When the aunt of the sisters arrived in America, she left with no less medicine. Instead, she took the older sister and her things, with a promise to teach her how to return the life she had taken._

_ It was an accident, she had calmed on the plane, and no one is to blame._

_ The girl did not buy it. And, of course, over time she forgot._

…

"Charisma, just go away." I sniffed, burrowing deeper into my gown. There was no hiding from my mind though. One could not run away from figments of their imagination.

"I'm afraid I have to." She sighed regretfully. I heard the soft sound of the pig's flesh being set back on the stick, the sliding, sickening noise it made. "I can't stay forever. That's just how it works."

"Good riddens." I choked. Memories were bubbling up and frothing around in my mind. Just her cold, condescending coo was enough of a reminder. The touch of malice she added brought back better times…or were they? I wasn't quite sure anymore.

"But, I'll be back one day, Alice." She crooned, already fading, "And when I come back, don't expect me to leave so easily."

And with that last sentence hanging eerily in the jungle air, stiff and unbending, she left me as well. It's just as good. I never wanted her company anyway.

…..

_ "Oh, dear!" The younger sister had said to the older before she departed with the aunt; while the elder was still waiting, all bundled up with her things clutched in her lap, for news of their plane's arrival. The expression on the younger's face was smug, like an alley cat that'd just received a plump mouse for dinner. "What will I ever do without you?" she mocked, "There is truly no place for me in this world without my dear sister, Alice! I hope we can stay in touch, maybe meet again sooner or later. I'd simply love that."_

_ The older sister said nothing. _

…

Alice Persi McClellan, I kept telling myself, that will always be yours. But, no matter how many times after Charisma had left that I tried to convince myself of that, I failed. I didn't deserve a name. I didn't deserve my life. If only I could have given it up for another. I would have done that in a heartbeat. Anything was more desirable than this.

Heavy in the heart, I added Simon to the list of brothers I'd killed.

…**..**

**Hey there! I'm updating :P**

**Anyway, thanks for your continued support! I can't believe that people have started reading this! I'm so excited that I finally started writing for it again too, because I really love Alice's character. I also want to apologize for the lack of Island boys in this chapter…there will be more in the future, I promise! Especially…IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE! DUNDUNDUN~~!**

**I also want to apologize for any confusion on this chapter's content…It is a little hard to follow, I know! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers, you make it possible for me to keep my drive to the max and also to do…**

**REVIEW RESPONSE TIME! (What a Segway, right?)**

**FreedomWriter~~**

**Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like it! And, as asked, I updated quickly! Also, I'm not gold, but I will try to stay gold…at least, in the heart :D**

**Cocomelonkatzelada~~**

**Thanks for your review/continued support as well! And I can't believe you actually changed your username XD That's awesome! Also, I updated! AHAHAHA, I'M SO ON TOP OF THANGS!**

**Claire~~**

**Thanks for your review~ I'm glad you like Alice's character. I was afraid she would be received as SUPER MARY SUE and all…I really tried to work hard at making her as unique as possible, even making her a little mysterious at times, having fun with her past, extreme brainstorming! Also, I hope I can finish this too! So many fictions and fanfictions and projects in general I've left undone…I really want to finish this one! Hopefully I can do it!**

**So, with review responses out of the way, a brief announcement on different terms. To anyone who read Hale Protocol or Apocalyptica, I've started the sequel to the former on deviantart in graphic novel form. I WILL EVENTUALLY POST IT IN WRITTEN FORM HERE, however, I want to get some more things off my plate on this site before I do! **

**THANKS FOR READING, pls review…I'LL WRITE YOU SOON!**


	11. Little Caterpillar Warnings

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Little Caterpillar Warnings

Naturally, the group on the beach sent someone after me when I didn't return. I wanted to say that they were being predictable, but I didn't really know any of them well enough to know whether or not it was. The only ones I knew were the ones that were dead or gone off.

That aside, I could not have been mor3e surprised that it was Piggy that they sent. Although, at the moment, I wasn't really feeling anything at all; the scent of flowers had fogged my mind once again. That was another peculiarity: these orange blooms. I wondered briefly what they were…whatever they were, I couldn't say I didn't like the feelings they gave me.

At least, once I got used to it.

"Hullo, Alice." Piggy sighed. I heard the crunch of grass as he sat next to me.

"Mmph…" I groaned. My head felt…funny. "What d'you want?"

"A-are you okay? You sound different…weird." He tried to explain. I certainly understood now why Ralph acted as his mouthpiece.

"I'm fine." I grumbled, "Leave me alone."

"But, I really think you should come with me back to the beach, you see-"

"Go away."

"Alice, it's dangerous out here." Piggy urged, "Will you at least hear me out? I'll fill you in on what happened when you were…away…or, asleep. Whatever or wherever you were."

"…fine." I huffed, paying no mind to his stumbling with the words, "Tell me where Maurice is."

"Huh?"

"Just tell me where he went." I sobbed, unexpectantly. I didn't even know why I was crying at this point. I just…was. "He's…I want to talk to him."

"But-! Alice, They've gone mad!" Piggy exclaimed.

"We're all batshit crazy anyway!" I snapped back, spitting fury. Piggy gasped, taken aback.

"Alice-!"

"What?!"

"I've…never heard you talk like that before." He stated, quiet. I sighed and leaned back, trying to clear my head. What was wrong with me? I could still act civilized…right? Maybe Roger…I shuddered at the name…was having a greater effect on me then let on. I was uncertain; more so than before.

"My apologies." I breathed, regretting, "I don't know what got into me." The chief's advisor looked past me curiously. Now that we were actually seated close together, I could see a break in the glass on his 'specs', on the right lens. In the good one, a pale reflection was turned back at me; a bush loaded with orange blossoms. I breathed in deep. My head hurt terribly. "What…what are you looking at…?"

"Alice?" He asked, though the way he said it was more of a statement. "Have you been sniffing the flowers?"

"Why?" I shot back. For some reason, I felt automatically defensive about it. They were just flowers. Plus, they reminded me of Simon. I wanted to hold onto his memory as long as I could; even if we didn't really talk much…we knew each other like we'd been together forever. At least, I'd like to say that. It had seemed at times that he could read my mind, and he always knew what had been bothering me, even if I didn't give any clue about it.

I shouldn't have told him that I wanted him as a brother.

All my brothers died…because of me.

"No reason." He muttered finally. Nothing else was said for a while.

"So…" I chanced again, "Maurice."

"Oh, the choir all broke off. Formed their own tribe, you know? I think they camped up at the…uh…castle rock? At least, that's what Ralph calls it." He paused. Piggy sounded extremely sad, melancholy, as he told me all this. I tried to put a reason to it, but couldn't. "Jack's in charge."

"…oh." I sighed. My heart dropped. It was going to be hard to talk to any of my friends without getting killed. I suddenly wondered if Roger was still my friend after all this. No, I told myself, not for the whole world.

"Are you still going?" Piggy broke in, "To talk to the tribe, you mean?"

"…maybe." I muttered.

Piggy sighed and got to his feet again. It suddenly struck me as strange that I'd never bothered to learn his real name, especially that nobody, not even Ralph, knew it. The question begged to be asked, but I wouldn't allow it. There was no reason I could think of to get any closer to anyone else. Not anymore.

"Just…be careful." He said. Then, he was off. I was left alone with my thoughts, and quite honestly I didn't know what to do with them. I couldn't be sure whether or not they were bright or dim. Either way, I automatically took the strongest one and turned it into action; I stood up and started out of the meadow, making sure to pluck a flower from a nearby shrub and take it with me. My fingers held it much too tightly, like claws or talons, clutching it like a lifeline.

It was so strange, I thought to myself as I struggled through the jungle paths, how normal the whole place looks. The birds flitted amongst the uppermost branches, sang songs amongst the dampened leaves. The sky had cleared up and was bright blue in color, with not the smallest cloud in sight. There was no sign that anything had ever happened here. I felt like a shadow in comparison.

As to be expected whenever I was anywhere alone, honestly I was getting a little fed up with it, someone had to happen into me and ruin everything. I say ruin because this person wasn't just anything, but the killer himself.

I was about ten yards from the first rock of the castle-fort, and I could hear the waves crashing against the boulders down below, on a cliff side too steep for crossing into. Someone crashed into me, sending us both flying down a small incline and into a little hollow in the bushes. I shrieked in surprise and pain as my back collided with the hard-packed earth. I looked up into the eyes of my attacker and shut down immediately. The courage I had accumulated earlier vanished completely from existence.

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you fucking crazy?" Roger snapped in a quiet hiss, "Do you realize how much I'm sticking my neck out for you here, Alice? If Maurice wasn't depressed as a sack of shit I'd have let you walk right on into Jack's arms!"

"…" I just stared, eventually looking away to maintain control over my tongue. Scathing words burned in my throat, threatening to erupt in an inferno.

"Well?" He gave me a strange look, still pinning me to the ground where we fell, "Are you gonna talk, or am I gonna have to get it out of you myself?!"

"…why'd you do it?" I whispered, still not daring to look into his eyes.

"Huh?" He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why'd you kill Simon?"

"…"

I felt on the verge of a breakdown. I didn't want to cry in front of Roger; I didn't want to make myself weak in front of him. I had a feeling that wouldn't end to well…not for me, at least. Just the way he acted, and all his behaviorisms, pointed to the fact that he was very dangerous. I didn't know what he could or would do yet. I didn't want to be the first to find out.

"Why…why did you do that?" I choked on the words, "I thought you were only trying to help…you told me to go find him, when all along…all along you were just planning on killing him!"

"I hadn't planned on it all along." Roger finally responded.

"It's fine…" I admitted aloud; it felt good to do that. "It's my fault anyway. I should've known better…than to…"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Roger exploded suddenly. I was taken off guard by this. Nobody…nobody had ever talked to me like that.

"What?" I squeaked.

"You go on about how you're angry at me, and 'oh, Roger, why'd you fucking kill my shitty protector guy?'. Then, you just up and change your mind, like some coward! 'It's all my fault, everything's my fault!'" He weakly mocked my tone of voice. It was strange, hearing such a high tone from his mouth. That, and how angry he looked. He really looked upset. "When will you stop blaming yourself for EVERYTHING, Alice?! It's not your fault! I killed him, not you!"

"…but…" I breathed, "…that doesn't make sense."

"Why in the-"

"It's always my fault…" I sobbed. The past once again came to haunt me. No matter what the circumstance was at the moment, no matter what kind of danger I was in right now…I couldn't forget the lessons that had been forced into me since the day I had been born. Since the day she could talk, she always told me these things…she always told me… "It's all my fault, everything…because…I'm a mistake…"

"Why would you even say that?" Roger asked; more gentle than before, but still harsh and condescending.

"Because…my sister told me so."

"…wow." Roger breathed, "You're sister…was an _ass_."

"How do you know?" I accused, "You never met her."

Roger smirked and gave a little laugh.

"Because," He responded, in a surprisingly good-humor, "I said the same thing to my siblings."

…**.**

**Okay, so bear with me. This chapter kinda sucks. And has a lot of Roger-cussing. But, that's just how it went down. So, I hope you'll not abandon me just because of this. IT GETS BETTER, I PROMISE.**

**So, REVIEW RESPONSE TIME.**

**FreedomWriter~~**

**Yeah, there's going to be a lot of involvement in Alice's past. That's just because it gets SOOO important later on in the plotline, and if I didn't do this, you wouldn't understand a thing and it would make no senses…XD I enjoy making her full story though, I really do. It's fun creating and developing a full, like Claire said earlier, 3D character, and just letting her run wild, seeing where the events take her and make her out to be. I'm excited for her future. And, I UPDATED! YEEEEEAGHH! *takes sunglasses off and screams at top of lungs awesomely while some indiscriminate building explodes into a million bits behind me***

**I am now can be golden.**

**Yup, anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and maybe….you review please? Mehemeh… There will be plenty more to come! THANKS FOR READING, WRITE YOU AGAIN!**


	12. It Only Looks Like a turtle

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER TWELVE: It Only Looks Like a Turtle

"You still haven't answered me." I said bitterly. At least I was sitting now, and Roger wasn't literally breathing down my neck. Although, I had to ask him to get off of me. That was a bit awkward.

"What question?" He mumbled around the knife gripped in his teeth; Jack's knife. He examined a just-sharpened spear with scrutinizing eyes.

"What happened with Simon?" I whispered, "What'd you do…"

"That doesn't matter."

"But it does!" I continued to push, leaning forward on my hands a bit in my enthusiastic upset, "Even if it's bad, and even if Simon was my friend, I'm used to it by now…I don't know if I even care anymore, really. I just feel kind of…numb. We can still be friends."

Roger stopped what he was doing and looked up. "Friends?" He asked, stranger still, then repeated quieter, "Friends…" Like it was a new, foreign words, or food; he rolled it around on his tongue, tasting its value. Once confused enough to let it go, he went back to sharpening spears.

"Are you going to tell me or not? I huffed. This was quickly becoming a frustrating conversation; two 'killers', not sharing any secrets. "Am I going to have to force it out of you?"

"I'd like to see that." He muttered.

"Oh, shut it." I prodded, "No…wait…spill it."

He rolled his eyes and put the knife up to its grip in the squishy soil. I just waited; biding my time, really. He would say something as soon as he was ready. Roger was just the kind of person who had to talk sooner or later; whether to run his own mouth or relieve some of that pressure. I knew it well. Not because I was like that, no. But, because of my sister. I had experienced it enough.

"It was dark…" He began with a sigh, "and…I just…let go."

"What do you mean?" I asked gently. For some reason, I felt like comforting him, maybe touching his hand…but I resisted. I wasn't sure what kind of reprisal that would earn me. I let him go on in silence.

Roger drew a deep breath and took up Jack's knife and a small branch that had been shaken from the treetops above during the storm. He furiously began working at it with the knife, taking out his frustrations on this small distraction. "I lost it…myself. I used to take medications that helped, but I don't have any with me and I keep…thinking…of these things…and I stabbed him." He finished briskly, jamming the end of the ravaged stick in the ground. It was a jagged representation of his thoughts. "I just…stabbed him. And I…he screamed. And he died. And I don't regret a thing."

"What were the medications for?" I asked; my curiosity peaked.

"My…" He exhaled a ragged breath and shut his eyes in painful thought, "Lust, if you want to put it like that…any kind of lust, but mostly…mostly for blood. I have…sadistic personality disorder. They called me a freak."

"You're not." I rebuked, "When I was younger, I had to take pills for seizures. I had them all the time, without warning. My aunt had to pull me out of school, and for a very long time I had to be homeschooled."

Roger looked at me harshly. "You had seizures?"

"Yeah." I admitted, rubbing my wrist with my index finger and thumb, trying to remember the vague memories of the old days. "They stopped a while ago, so I guess I've been cured." I added the last part with a touch of confidence. My aunt had helped me mix the pills myself. I'd cured myself without killing anybody involved.

"Interesting." Roger smiled, "Maybe I'll come and visit your aunt's shop when we get out of here."

This caught me off guard. I was almost certain that I'd never told Roger my aunt was the apothecary of our city…where had he learned that?

"How did you know my aunt owned a store?" I risked asking. He froze.

"Uh, you told me, remember?" He rushed, "It was a while ago, so you probably won't remember. You do have an awful terrible memory, you know that, right Alice?"

"Sure." I muttered, despondent. I guess, maybe, he was right. I probably did tell him sometime, and he just didn't remember. For the sake of keeping the current good attitude though, I decided to change the subject and not bother too much about it. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be with the tribe or something? Do you think-"

"I can't get Maurice to talk to you." Roger sighed tiredly. He'd obviously already had this conversation with the significant other. I also noticed, however, that the slight devious tone had crept back into his voice. He could be lying. "The only reason I'm allowed to be away is because I'm high rank. Jack just doesn't give any fucks about where the hell I am, as long as I'm back in time for meetings and punishments."

"Do you think you could deliver some messages for me, then?" I asked, suddenly excited by a thought that run through my head. "You could be like a messenger! We could have a whole secret, underground delivery service! It'll be cool!"

"Yeah, whatever." Roger waved off, "I'll deliver your shitty mail. Just, be here every day when the sun is at the highest point in the sky. That way, it's easier to meet up without any mistakes. I don't want to get caught." He leaned back and basked lazily in a shaft of sunlight filtering down from the leaves above, taking sluggish breaths. Something about the way he conducted himself, the way he spoke, made only one word pop into my mind: Artificial. Roger was absolutely, without a doubt, artificial. At least, the one I knew. Maybe someday, he'd let me know the real one. I certainly hope so, anyway.

"Just, tell him I said hi for now." I finished, sighing. There seemed to be a lot of that going on in this chat. "And tell him that I'm doing okay. He's probably worried."

"You have no idea." Roger laughed darkly.

"I have a slight one." I said passively, standing up. As I did so, my flower drifted from my dress and spiraled to the ground. It fell atop the surface of Roger's hand, resting there, spread to the sky. He made no motion to it at first, but after a moment, moved with slow, slight motions to bring it to eye level. He examined it with keen, yet detached, interest. He took a small sniff at it, and wrinkled his nose in disgust. Some of his paint chipped off in response.

"Damn, that's wretched." He choked, handing it quickly to me, "That's the worst smelling flower I've ever stuck my nose in. How do you even put up with that?"

I snatched it back and stuck my tongue out; like a child. "I thought it smelled pretty." I retorted, "It's not my fault you have no taste…or smell."

"No, really, Alice." He added seriously, "That's terrible. I can't put my finger on it, but it smells…familiar. Gross, but familiar."

"Whatever." I brushed off, looking a different way in a weak attempt to break off conversation, "I got to go now. The others will send Piggy after me again if I don't go back soon. Remember to deliver that message for me, okay?"

"Sure." He said, uninterested.

"Oh, and Roger?" I decided to say at the last moment, when my feet were just at the edge of our copse. It was silent for a moment. He was trying to decide what to say, if anything at all.

"…yes?"

"Good luck with things." I smiled, "I'm…sorry."

"Sorry for what?!" He asked sharply.

"I'm sorry that you killed Simon."

I left without another word.

…

Piggy, Ralph, and the twins were waiting anxiously for my return when I got back to the beach, as to be expected. I breathed in deep as I walked along the sand, trying to compose myself for an adult conversation. I had acted irrationally earlier, when I ran off. I knew that now, and I was prepared to receive the full consequences of worrying everyone like I did.

"Hullo." I greeted nonchalantly, casting a sideways glance in their direction. Ralph looked at me with blank eyes.

"Hullo, Alice." He said back. Nobody else said anything for a very long time. I stood amongst them, waiting for my punishment to come. Surely, someone would rebuke me for my actions. But nothing happened. I ended up feeling awkward, standing in the middle of a loose circle of people I hardly knew, waiting for a storm that had already come. In fact, it had long since passed. There was nothing I needed to fear, nothing I needed to wait for. Except for the next storm, but the skies were clear for now. It would be a long way off yet.

"Alice," Piggy tried nervously to initiate a chat when he realized nobody was going to do anything. It still wasn't one of his high points. I'm not sure if I even knew what his high points were. "Why don't we talk, get to know each other better? Do you want to walk with me?!"

"Uh, sure?" I tilted my head to the side. His rapid hand gestures and hard-to-read expressions, hidden by too-big glasses, confused me constantly. It was almost to the point where I didn't want to, but it was better than sitting around and doing nothing, I supposed.

"Alright then!" He smiled, "Come on."

I followed him down the beachside for a long time, still not saying anything. We simply walked and walked and walked some more. Sometimes, when the opportunity called to me, I kicked a seashell absent-mindedly with a crooked foot, or picked one up and chucked it into the sea, only to watch it be dragged away and never seen again. That seashell would never return to me, it would never feel the grains of sand shift under it as it crept up the shoreline, pushed on by the same waves that took it away now. I wondered if Simon was the same as the shells. Was he out there, somewhere, in the sea? Would his real sister and his mother miss him? Would they ever even know he was gone?

"So, what happened with the tribe?" Piggy finally decided to ask.

"Nothing, really." I replied, "I ran into Roger before I could get there, and we had a nice talk about some things."

"You WHAT?!" Piggy exclaimed, taking my arm forcefully, "Are you stupid? He killed Simon!"

"I know that." I said flatly, still staring at the sea.

"So, what then?" He accused, "You're just going to pretend it never happened? Leave it all there? 'Oh, Roger murdered my best friend, but I guess that's okay. Because, you know, he is kind of hot!'"

"That's not why I forgave him." I insisted truthfully. It wasn't, really. In fact, Piggy's words kind of disturbed me. Did he actually think Roger was hot? That's weird. I would have to tell Roger about it tomorrow.

"Then why'd you do it?" He asked. It was the same question I'd asked Roger earlier, except this time I was faced with it. I suddenly realized, with a pang of sorrow, why Roger had been so evasive on the subject. It was a hard thing to answer, to give your reason for something you didn't even fully understand yourself. If I had perhaps come from a less educated family, I would have answered right away that it was because we were, in a way, the same. Roger and I shared some of the same qualities, and that's why I forgave him. But, that couldn't be the real reason. That wasn't the real reason, and I knew it. I didn't like it either.

"…I don't know." I responded. I was confused, utterly stumped. Why had I forgiven him? In hindsight, it seemed like such a terrible mistake…I almost regretted it…but not really.

Why had I forgiven Roger? If only I knew. It was just one more question to add to my growing list of things. I had a lot of lists going at the moment.

I looked up quickly. The sky was blue still. The air was warm. And without warning, everything was made perfect.

I realized that it didn't matter, and continued walking along the beach.

…**.**

** WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW**

**I don't know why I typed that. I just feel like, every time I start an A/N, I need to start with an exclamation. Like: WOW or YEAH or WIZZOH or SHAMWOW.**

**You know, just for kicks.**

**But seriously, this story is progressing at an alarming rate, and gaining followers and active reviewers. I hadn't anticipated that…not that I don't like it…it's just a pleasant, highly unexpected surprise. I LUB YOU GUISE SO MUCH….*sobs* YOU ARE FANTASTIC. **

**So, thanks for reading, I really do love you in a non-awkward way.**

**REVIEW RESPONSE TIEM WITH NO SEGWAY THIS TIME, YAY!  
FreedomWriter~~~**

**Thanks for thinking my story is amazing :D That means a lot! Also, I don't have any revenues, but yes, I would like a lot more reviews…not that it matters! I enjoy writing and do it for the fun of it! I love to create, and I love to write, so write I will as long as I love to! And when I tire of it…if that day ever comes when I do…Well, that hasn't happened yet, so I don't know what I'll do then! **

**I'M STILL WORKING ON THAT TAN! XD (Or rather, burn. I don't tan to well…but rest assured I'll be golden in no time flat!)**

**100ReasonsWhy~~~**

**A new reader! :,D Yay!**

**I'm glad you like everything! Especially Alice; as I've said so many times before, I was really worried people would bash her and hate on her, but it turns out I did a relatively good job creating her…I'm so relieved, you can't even imagine. **

**That's the first comment I've got about the title though…hm. I didn't really think it was that clever. But, as a writer, I don't really think I have any idea what I'm doing at all…I just…do it. I write what feels right, you know?**

**Thanks for reading/reviewing!**

…

**Okay, so to everybody now, THANKS FOR READING MY STORY! Please Review if you have time, and maybe check out the soundtrack list that's slowly growing on my profile page. I appreciate it! WRITE YOU SOON!**


	13. The Rabbit's Watch

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The Rabbit's Watch

I shivered as I slept, alone, in the meadow. The butterflies had long since drifted out of the air and into their warmer places reserved for sleep. I felt like I was a block of ice. Briefly, I wished that they would've taken me too when they retreated. If only I was the size of a butterfly…then I could hide where nobody would find me until we were rescued. That is, if we were ever rescued; if I was ever rescued. If that ship didn't come in a few days, they would be loading me on in a black bag.

That made me think about things. Particularly, the situation of my death. Who would be the one to kill me? Also, whatever happened to Jack?! Didn't he have some twisted infatuation with me? Didn't he want to you-know-what? Why'd he stop? Not that I mattered…I actually was quite thankful. However, it still perplexed me to no end. I thought about things for quite a while, about all my friends that I'd made here. Maurice was nice, and under different circumstances, I was sure I could be the person he wanted me to be. Piggy was also kind, and kind of similar to me. Both his parents died, and he lived with his aunt, in a candy shop, in southern England. It never had occurred to me before, but I had been to that shop before, the little one with all the colorful lollies. It was on a nice summer day, and my own aunt had decided to take me to go see the ocean. It'd been so pretty then, all glistening. I'd looked in the shop window for only a second before my aunt tore me away, and I was certain now that I'd caught just a glimpse of Piggy, sitting by the counter with a book in his hands. I'd bought a postcard from a cart a few blocks down, and I'd tacked it to my wall when we got back to the house. My walls had been covered in little trinkets like that: pictures I'd drawn and postcards sent from friends back in America, and photos my aunt had taken of different things. She'd always loved photography.

There was a pain in my chest that told me I missed her. I sat up and nibbled on the edge of a bright orange flower petal absent-mindedly. Emotions welled up from all my suppressed orifices and threatened to rip me right opened. I began to cry, sobbing to no one, still with the flower in my mouth. I drew my limbs closer to me and clutched them tightly. I didn't want to die here…I was scared.

"Alice?" A voice whispered, dismayed, "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, I cried louder. The breaths tore at my chest, heaved out of my throat. I tried to clench my teeth and just bear it, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't do this anymore.

"Alice, it's me." A hand touched my shoulder gently. I looked up, the tears making my vision blurry, then screamed and reeled back.

"Alice?!" I blinked once, and the picture changed. It wasn't a decomposed Simon, the blood dripping down his face and the skin falling off his bones. It was just Maurice, painted, but still Maurice. I didn't know why he was here, or how he managed to get away. I didn't ask. I didn't even care. I went back to crying, more heavily than before, and let him hold me. He wrapped his fingers in my hair, stroked my back in comfort. It felt strange, but safe; like a parent trying to put you back to sleep when you woke with a terrible nightmare. Except, I could only wish that this was all a nightmare.

"Spit that garbage out of your mouth." He teased, tugging on the petals sticking from my lips, "You'll make yourself sick."

I grimaced through the tears and stuck out my tongue, lapping at the air in a feeble attempt to shake loose the dappled orange pulp. In my choked sobs, I accidently inhaled a few. I coughed and spluttered, disgusted with myself for sinking so low. Maurice put his arms around my neck and let me rest against his shoulder. Normally, I would've pulled away. But I didn't bother. I was too tired.

"Can I ask you a question?" He sighed.

"Mm-hmm…" I whimpered. I figured I owed him one anyway.

"How do you feel?" Maurice asked, "about…me."

"…You're-my best-est frie-nd." I managed to get out through the after-tantrum hiccups, "Th-e onl-y one I've g-ot."

"Oh." He breathed, then, the main event, the one I'd been expecting: "But, more than that…I mean…"

"Not here, Maur-ice." I squeaked, "An-ywhere but he-re. Please, jus-t resp-ect that about me."

"No problem." He laughed. It felt strange when I was leaning against him, to feel his laugh instead of hear it. It also felt strangely comforting, in an odd, unexplainable way. "I just thought I'd ask. It's good to know you wouldn't reject me outright…even if you kind of friend zoned me to the max."

"Oh, sorr-y."

"Don't be." He smiled. I waited for my hiccups to cease before I began questioning him about anything. When they did, I pulled away from his shoulder and sat upright, my hands in my lap. My face felt very red from the rough of the tears. They'd been like sandpaper on my face. Still, it had felt very good to cry.

I breathed in deep. "Why'd you come here?" I asked curiously, weakly. I'd spent a lot of my energy on weeping.

"Roger told me I would find you here." Maurice grinned nervously, "He said you wanted to talk to me."

"He told me you couldn't get away because of your rank." I muttered angrily. So, Roger had been lying to me again. What a big surprise.

"That's actually true." Maurice admitted. I took back everything I'd just thought about Roger. Maybe I should give him more credit. "He sneaked me out while Jack wasn't looking. I probably owe him like a million favors by now."

"Yeah, my tab's running pretty high too." I huffed. Okay, I needed to give Roger A LOT more credit, apparently. He was really watching out for me here. "Sometimes he's such a mean person that it doesn't count though."

"You got that right." Maurice chuckled, "He'd the douchiest of douches. I wonder if he shits diamonds sometimes."

"That's gross." I stuck out my tongue through a smile and dried tears, "I'm gonna tell him you said that."

"Sorry…" He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled with me. We both laughed in unison, not at Roger, but probably at ourselves. We were so pitiful, really. At least, I was. Maurice stopped suddenly and looked up at the moon, coated with a thin blanket of clouds. It reminded me of how cold I had been. "I have to be going. I promised Roger I'd be back by midnight...I'm already late."

"Oh…okay."

"Why don't you go back to the beach to the others?" Maurice suggested as he stood up and started to leave. He held out his hand to me and pulled me up. "I get worried about you out here."

"I'm fine, Maurice." I rolled my eyes a little. "Try not to be over-doting…"

"Sorry." He said again, "I just don't want anything to hurt you. It's happened enough for me to be legitimately concerned about your well-being."

"I…feel safer here." I whispered. Truthfully, I only stayed here because it reminded me of Simon. But, I didn't tell him that. I didn't think he'd understand.

"Fine, just try to be careful, okay?"

"I'll try." I scoffed quietly. Trying is what I'd been doing all along. Look where that had gotten me.

"Well…see you." And Maurice was off again. The whole meeting had been rejuvenating for my spirits, actually. I didn't know why, or how, but it made me feel stronger. At least one person was looking out for me, maybe two if Roger was as reliable as I now thought him to be. I lay back down in the scraggly grass and tried to settle in once more. The flowers sung a silent song, and unlike before I had my heart to keep me warm.

I knew what I was going to do now, and it made me eerily, terribly calm.

There was someone I had to pay a visit to.

….

Hey guys, I don't really have time for a long AN, that will come later. I know there's been some weird stuff goin' on lately with my account…if you've noticed. If not, good on you. It hasn't been hacked or anything, it's just, I'm making some big decisions about some stories and I'm kind of scatter-brained right now. I bigger explanation will come later, I promise! ALONG WITH A NEW EPT, I KNOW I'M BEHIND….D:

Alright, so it's nine thirty now and I'm going to bed XD

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

WRITE YA LATER!


	14. Pool Of Tears

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Pool of Tears

I woke up the next morning with the sun practically burning a hole in my forehead. The skin was peeling and dry; red. Groaning, I looked up, then, startled, jumping to my feet and taking off through the jungle. It was nearly sun-high! I'd slept in too late, and now Roger was going to _kill _me! As I ran through the brush, the leaves slapped against my burned skin, ripped into my tattered white dress. They shook loose their dew, cooling the pain they inflicted. I couldn't help but feel that this was their little way of apologizing; they were trying to make it up to me. Their words, or lack thereof, were taken to mind heartily as I continued down the well-worn jungle path. My feet found their places as I ran. I'd come this way often enough for them to know their marks. Soon enough, they brought me to the hollow in the shrubs near castle rock. As expected, Roger was already there, methodically tapping a handful of sticks on a tree trunk. I crashed to my knees in front of him and he snapped up, taken for once by surprise.

"Sorry!" I gasped, still winded, "I…slept in!"

"I can tell." He smirked, glancing over my cut-up arms. I self-consciously rubbed them with my muddy hands. "What exactly went on between Maurice and you last night?"

"We talked." I responded quickly, sparing him of the part where I cried pettily in his arms for nearly an hour. He'd probably just make fun of me anyway. In an answer, Roger chuckled darkly.

"Oh, I bet you did." He brushed off, "Talked into his mouth."

"Ew, no!" I grimaced. Eager to change the subject, I glanced hurriedly to the switch Roger still tapped against the tree. "Why are you doing that?"

"What?" He plainly asked.

"Tapping." I muttered, "Are you…OCD?"

Roger went pale white, making the scarlet, green and yellow paint on his face jump from the surface. He dropped the switch and the sticks clattered to the stony ground. I re-adjusted myself in the dirt, trying to make sure my legs wouldn't bruise over again. They had just healed, after all. There was no use in hurting myself any more than I had to be.

"I…uh…picked up the habit a while ago." He grinned uneasily, "I haven't been able to lose it since."

"Oh." I replied, trying to think it over. Suddenly, I remembered something my aunt had told me once, and offered it. "My aunt used to teach me about different disorders." I started, reaching over and taking a stick off the ground. I sort-of half-fell onto Roger's knee though, which made us both more uncomfortable than we had been. In an attempt to right my error, I scrabbled back to my knees, stick in hand. "She said that if chew on something instead of tapping, it helps you stop." To give an example, I ripped off the end of the stick and crunched it between my teeth. It flooded my mouth with an earthy, dirt taste. I grimaced, but kept chewing. If I spit it out, he'd never try it.

"I think I'm good, thanks." He declined, laughing. Sagging, I spit out the bark. "You seriously need to stop worrying about me, Alice. I'm just fine."

"Why shouldn't I worry about you?" I glowered, twisting my fingers together, "You and I are a lot alike."

"What are you talking about?" He accused, "I'm a sadist, and you're the most innocent, 'get-any-guy' sort of girl I've ever met. Ever heard of a Mary-Sue?"

"No."

"Well, I'd go as far as calling you one, not that it means anything." He threw his arms in the air and stretched out against the length of the tree he'd been tapping on. I raised an eyebrow and frowned.

"There's a lot that you don't know about me." I chanced. It was a mistake. Roger peered at me through one reddish eye and turned as still as a statue.

"Like what?" He smirked, "The fact that you're dangerous to yourself? I know that already, Alice. Look at you, you're talking to_ me_. That should tell you something, too."

"I've killed somebody before." I spat.

"…What." He shot up, astonished. I blushed and looked down. I shouldn't have said that, I really shouldn't have said that! I've never told anyone that before, not even Simon, not even Maurice! Why'd I tell him that?! I started to beat myself up mentally. _There, that should put you in your place, Alice_, Charisma's sweet voice drifted in my mind, _you idiot._ "Who!?"

"Ah…uh…" I panicked. What now? Should I keep going?

No. I had someplace to be.

So I bolted up and ran. I didn't listen for him behind me, because I knew that Roger would be there. I just ran and ran and ran until I was sure I would pass out from exhaustion or be thrown into some violent seizure. My heart skipped beats. My vision melted into a fondue fountain of blurring colors, so beautiful yet so deadly at the same time. I had to stop and stare. Blues and greens and yellows and oranges all melded into one, poisonous cocktail. I took slow breaths. It was calming. I could hear the ocean waves crashing against the rocks and the sand. Was I back at the beach already?

"Alice, you okay?" Roger's voice came to me in my dream-like state. Then, a distorted laugh. It was Charisma's. Why was she here?

"Alice, Alice!" She plaintively mocked, "I'm so worried about you! Can't you tell? I'm giving up everything just to follow you out here, _you little brat_!"

"Sh-shut…up…" I moaned. My knees buckled beneath me and collided with rock, sending waves of pain up my spine. "No…"

"Alice?" Roger asked, worried. His outline became nearly visible, and I could just make out his colors and shades as they mixed together, breaking their rightful boundaries. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, you know who she's talking to, you sick bastard!" Charisma scolded, "Stop playing dumb with her!"

"Ch-chari-" I tried to get out. I wanted to tell her to stop. I wanted to tell her to leave, and not bother him like that. He didn't deserve it. He wasn't hers to bother...I'd come here to see her, not him. She needed to talk to me. Somebody gripped my shoulders and started shaking me.

"Alice! Alice!" A faded voice called, "Can you hear me?"

"N…nnn…" I tried. My tongue forgot the motions for the proper words. My mind couldn't connect the dots. I felt like I was in a million places at once.

"Alice…I'm going to lay you down now…dammit…I don't know what to do…" Roger furiously said. I heard a cackle.

"Throw her in the ocean." Charisma laughed.

"Oh, fuck off!" Roger screamed, "Just leave! You're the reason this is happening, you shit! What did those damn flowers do anyway?!"

"You should know." Charisma taunted, "You tried them yourself before, Roger."

My vision darkened. I couldn't feel my limbs. I was truly nothing now, floating in a sea of words I couldn't make sense of or extract from the crashing waves. I could hear the waves too, the faint, demonic whispers in my ear.

_Alice…Alice…give up, Alice!_

_ We want you here._

_ Can you hear them?_

_ Alice…we love you, Alice!_

I gritted my teeth and felt blood gush into my mouth. Tears poured all around me, drowning me. I was drifting away, being carried by them. My eyes were opened, but I could see nothing but the blackness and the spots where the sun got in. Somehow, voices came through.

"—No, that was a long time ago…"

"...Alice is just a burden. Put her where she belongs…"

"…motherfucker, just leave before I kill you…"

"…girl? Monster…"

"…know, but I'll make…special…you…"

"…really? Are you strong enough for…"

"…drugging her…nightmares?! Seriously…"

"…haha…yes, I know…future."

The light started to pierce the fogginess of my head. I blinked too fast, breathed too rapidly. Then, without warning, I gasped in a big gulp of air and sat up in a rush of wind. The real world was back in an instant, overwhelming me with its suddenness. Roger had his hands around my wrists, and looked like he'd seen a ghost. Experimentally, I touched my fingers to my lips. Sure enough, blood flowed down my chin. I had bitten my tongue.

"It was a seizure, wasn't it?" I breathed, still shaking just slightly. I twisted my hands away from Roger's cold fingers and held them to my chest, trying to steady my breathing.

"I think so." He muttered, looking away. Quickly, I plucked a dew and ocean-soaked leaf from the ground and smothered my face into it, wiping clean the mess. I had forgotten for a moment about Roger's…problem. I didn't want to trigger anything this far away from anybody else. Carefully, I looked around. This wasn't the beach I was used to…I must've run all the way to the opposite end of the island. This beach was steep and rocky, pouring pebbles into a long drop which fell to a sandy enclave by the ocean water. Where I was right now, tickling plants grew on a flat over-looking plateau. Thank goodness Roger had followed me after all. If hadn't been there when I seized, I could've fallen right over the edge and onto the rocks.

"…Were you…talking to somebody?" I asked him tentatively. What I heard didn't sound artificial enough to be a dream.

"…No." He responded quietly, "You must've been hearing things, Alice."

"Oh," I sighed, "But it sounded so real…"

"I know." He reassured, still not meeting my gaze, "But, it was nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it." A different voice picked up. I froze in place. Roger went wide-eyes and didn't move either.

"Charisma." I gasped silently to myself, "You're…no…"

"Yes." She responded, stepping out from the shrubs opposite me. She was my exact copy, with my exact hair, only a little messier, and nearly my same dress. "That's right, Alice. It's nice to see you again, at last." I stood up slowly, and Roger helped a little. We stared each other down, me gripping the thin trunk of a tree I'd managed to find for support, her confidently standing alone. The wind ruffled out our clothes slightly, sending the scent of a familiar flower flowing to my nose.

She was my exact copy; except for her red eyes. She had gotten those from my father.

Because Charisma was my sister…my twin sister.

She had always wanted me dead.

And now, we were on a deserted island together.

She would get her wish at last, it seemed.

"I knew you would be here." I accused, "That's why I came. So, let's get this over with."

…

** Dewd, this chapter sucks. It was kind of hasty, if you can't already tell.**

**So, how have you been?  
….**

…

**OKAY, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A REALLY LONG TIME, BUT I'M SORRY! DON'T BLAME ME! BLAME THE BLOCK! WRITERS BLOCK FOR FANFICTIONS THINGS:C**

**So…uh…yeah.**

**If you haven't noticed, my accounts been kind of off and on lately. I had Faux up, but it sucked some major ass so I took it down and then there's Radioactive, which I really enjoy writing but nobody else seemed to take any interest in it, and then there's Barton Hollow, which is one of my second favs, but it's a very narrow reader base…and then…Kingdom Come…Geez, I love that one. But, enough shameless plugging. The point is, I have A lot of irons in my metaphorical oven-fire-thing. Including my own original work, The Clocktower Trilogy, which I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO delved into right now, it's not even funny. I love writing guys, and I'm going to keep writing all my stories until they're done…but…I have a lot of other things to do that take priority. So, sorry if you were looking for updates and didn't see none. :P**

** I'm working on a very long oneshot to make up for it :PP**

**So, hope you enjoyed.**

**Also, big shout out to LUSTFORTHELETTERS (did I get that right?). You, my friend, are awesome. More awesome than you think I am.**

**Telling me I'm one of the best writers you've encountered with LotF…that's going a bit too far, I think…But, I appreciate your review nonetheless! It makes me very happy to know people love my writing like you do! Actually, IT MAKES ME FEEL AMAZING :D**

**I LUV YOU. YOU R AWESOME.**

**UR COMPLIMENTS MAKE MEH SMILE…:DDDDD**

**Anyway, thanks for reviewing! I love all of you as well, even if you don't review!**

**THANKS FOR READING! **

**WRITE YOU LATER!**


	15. Queen of Hearts

ALICE: BLOODY WONDERLAND

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (?): Queen of Hearts

I had been doing a lot of running away lately. And, the more I ran, the more I thinked…if that was a proper word. I doubted if it was, though by this point I had lost touch with the more literary side of my being. All those children's storybooks, all the wonderful tales of wonderlands and beautiful worlds were slipping away from me day by day. As I stood still, watching Adelaide, watching myself reflected in her bright red eyes, I came to terms with this too. There would be no more running. I didn't want to anymore. I was tired. I really didn't know if my legs could carry me that far anyway.

"Hehe." Addie chuckled, "You look funny, sis. You sure you're alright? You want a flower?"

"No." I breathed softly, "No, I don't."

"Hey," Roger started forward a bit, I saw this from the corner of my vision, but he stopped as soon as he started. Good thing, too. I didn't want him involved in this. Family matters.

"How'd you get here?" I shouted across the stretch of grass that separated _her_ and I, "Why'd you follow me?"

"Why not?" Adelaide scoffed, shrugging in apathy, "But, if you must know, mum and da and I were planning to come visit you when the bombs hit…hahaha. When I saw you board that stupid plane, I thought God himself must've put you there just for me. I was gonna drown you on the thing, but, you know, that wouldn't have been any fun."

My knees shook violently as I gripped the scratchy bark of the palm tree. I tried to stay focused on Addie, the way she moved, the bright red in her irises, the feline structure to everything she did, but I just couldn't. Everything was quivering, and being torn apart. My vision was a still-life portrait or an old photo that someone had taken in their hands and ripped in two pieces. On one side, Roger's astonished expression and on the other was Adelaide's smug grin. It got closer and closer until it filled up the whole frame, until I could feel her hands on my cold shoulders. I couldn't move. I was ice.

"Gee, Alice." She whispered in my ear, "I sure hope your good pal Roger doesn't mind goin' for a swim."

I wanted to ask her why so badly. The 'wh' stuck to my tongue like peanut butter or nutella. But, I couldn't muster the strength or the tact. I shivered once, just about to force it out of my lips, when she gripped me harder and threw me sideways, off the cliff and into the sea.

...

Bubbles; little loops and spheres of captured air that I could not have. The ocean invents them only to mock me as I sink to the bottom.

Light; my last glimpse, I think to myself. It twinkles across the pattern of the ever-moving ocean, through the undulating waves, it's all I see. There are definite shapes here, nor a definite passing of time. All I am is me, and all I live for is the next moment to pass, in the futile hopes that I will be dead.

Noise; the white kind. The kind that my aunt used to play for me over the gramophone when I refused to go to sleep. It's comforting in a weird, unsafe way. It makes me want to listen. It makes me want to sleep forever.

A new sound; a splash. Several more. Something touches my hands, my wrists, struggling for a stable hold, for something to hold on to. I feel like the owner of the touches is desperate. I feel like they're trapped under this new world too. Maybe they don't want to leave either.

Stay. Stay, I wanted to tell them. But they didn't listen, even if I talked with my eyes. Instead, I saw their outline glimmer slightly as they crossed into one of the infamous rays of light, then blotch the whole thing out as they drew closer. More bubbles. More noise. I felt heavy. I felt like there was an entire anvil in my chest.

They said something, but I couldn't make it out.

The noise exploded suddenly. I stopped listening and fell asleep.

….

"Alice, Alice, wake up!" A voice hissed in my ear, "Geez, I'm starting to feel like all you do is get in trouble. How many times am I going to have to save your sorry butt?! I'm not going to be there for you all the freaking time, you know!"

"Huh?" I muttered. I opened my eyes and chanced sitting up. My memory of what had just happened to me was foggy, but I knew enough to feel the urgency of the situation. That, and the forest was moving, so I was alarmed from the start anyway. I looked around, realized Roger had been carrying me, and politely jumped—more like fell—out of his arms and onto the ground. I was soaking wet.

"You are a death magnet." Roger, the voice from before, scolded angrily. We both stopped moving so he could unleash the full spectrum of his fury on me. I glanced around quickly first; we were still pretty close to the cliff. Where'd Adelaide go? Was Charisma real, then? I had so many questions, they burned me. But, first and foremost, how did I get to the point in time where I was, and why was Roger dripping wet and looking nearly like a cat that had taken a bath? It was kind of funny to see, in all honesty. If I had been in better spirits, I might have laughed.

Roger continued, paying no mind to my wandering brain, "I feel like everything that comes into contact with you is put into severe danger, you know that, Alice?!" He shouted, "I mean, what the FU—"

"But you knew her." I interrupted, "You knew she was here before I was, I heard you talking…and you knew she knew me, and that she could've been dangerous too…and…"

"Yeah, but that's different." Roger redirected the conversation at me, "You know me, and would expect that sort of thing from me, or at least, I hope you would. Like you said, I only do things for my benefit, remember?"

It all came back to me then. I bit my lip to stop the trembling.

"Then, why're you all wet?" I stated plainly. It really wasn't a question, but it was answered and phrased like one.

"…What do you mean?" He darkly retorted, "I saved your life, stupid."

"And what benefit do you get from that?"

He never answered me. Instead, I clearly remember Roger simply pointing a direction, telling me that that was where Addie was, and walking towards it. I went the opposite direction and that's how we parted ways, with the strangest of not-questions hanging in the air between us like cobwebs. I wanted to brush them away, and clearly he did too. Sad thing was, I didn't think we'd be able to. Not for a very long time.

I still wish deeply that he wouldn't have saved me; it was very peaceful down there.

….

**This chapter is super duper short and super-duper sucky. I apologize for that. Dearly. I apologize. The thing is, it's like twelve o clock and I'm really tired. Also, I had no idea what to write about in this chapter.**

**Thanks to all you awesome people who followed/favorited because of this fic, BTW. You guys are fabulous. This, by far, is my most followed fic (I think).**

**So, sorry for the length. If I'm feeling up to it, I'll update this again soon. Don't think this fic has been scrapped though. None of my fics will ever be scrapped, I just sometimes take a while. I have a huge book series goin' right now, so my whole life is really devoted to that and its completion. Just think, one day you guys may see it in stores. I look forward to that day. **

**So, until then, this piece-o-crap will have to do.**

**Again, sorry.**

**Thanks for reading! Write ya' later!**


	16. The Courtroom

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: The Courtroom

I was slightly confused at the recent turn of events. And, as I walked through the forest, I tried to make sense of them. First, Adelaide was here. Adelaide, my twin sister who hated my very existence and had tried to kill me nearly every chance she got. Once she'd tried to drown me in a metal basin in the washroom. Another time she'd almost bashed my skull in with one of the ponies in the shed. I'd thought she would've let go of all that by now, given we'd been apart for about seven years now. However, I didn't think that was the case now...And those flowers. I didn't even want to know, mostly because I wanted to remain ignorant, but a little because I just didn't want to handle it right now. I needed to talk to Maurice-but as I broke out of the foliage, feeling the sun graze my already rough skin for what seemed like the first time, I sighed in relief and tried to forget about that too. He'd abandoned me, hadn't he? He went to Jack's side right away. So had Roger. I couldn't trust them anymore.

"Alice!" Ralph shouted across the glistening beach. I glanced the scene over. The blonde waved at me excitedly, and it looked as if he was having a real grand time, perhaps the best in all his times on the island. He was about knee-deep in the ocean, the salty tongues of the waves lapping hungrily at his sunburnt skin. The twins splashed each other a bit farther out, screaming when a blast hit too close to home. Piggy watched worriedly from the shore, right near where I know stood. He had a ratty old jacket thrown over his shoulders. I glanced to him, and he nodded politely back, but I didn't take a seat next to him. I didn't feel like this was the time for that.

"Alice!" Ralph repeated, "You've been gone a while! Where'd you go off to?"

I squinted my eyes and cupped my fingers around my pale eyes so the glistening water and sun wouldn't hurt them. The sand too, was dangerously white. Unfortunately, this must have taken a lot of concentration, because I completely forgot about the ocean. It rushed up with a crash and wrapped itself around my ankles. I shrieked and leaped back. My heart was racing.

No more water for me. At least, not for a while.

I stood there for quite a while, not responding to Ralph. He didn't seem to care all that much. Actually, he went back to enjoying the surf with Samneric. Those two still perplexed me to no end. How did they get along so well, to the point of even finishing each other's sentences? Wearily, I sighed.

Should I tell them? Anyone? Yes, probably. If I didn't, it would only bring trouble for me later when they found out...and more predicaments were the last things I needed. But, how many of them should I tell? I trusted Piggy whole-heartedly, so definitely him. And Ralph was the leader of our little rag-tag team, so he was also a must. I might as well throw the twins in there too, because they also deserved to know what in the world was going on around here. That made everyone, except for the occasional littlun, but I hadn't seen any of them in quite a while...they must have either run off with Jack's pride-tribe or...or...

"Ralph!" I called out, trying to raise my still-hoarse voice above the roar of the waves, "Can we call a meeting?!"

"Really?!" He yelled back, "Why?"

"It's really important!" I persisted.

"Okay!" He agreed, "Everyone, meet up by the platform!"

"Should I blow the conch?" Piggy queried. I'd almost forgotten he was there...

"No, it's fine." Ralph said in between punctuated breaths once he got a little closer, "There aren't that many of us anyway."

We all trudged back up to the pearly-pink rocks that served as the platform in our better days. Struggling, I clambered up onto the top and took a seat on one of the main three fallen trunks, fidgeting with anxiety. So, this was it. The things I'd wanted to keep a secret were going to be out the open. Ralph and Piggy sat on either side of me, and Samneric sat on the spindly log that tended to tip over under the weight of the rambunctious littluns. They, however, had the tact and maturity to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground.

"So..." Ralph began, "What's this about, Alice?"

"It's about..." I began nervously, "...what happened today when I was in the woods."

Piggy snapped to attention. I also had managed to forget that he was the only one who knew about my noon-time meetings with Roger. Of course, he would naturally assume the worst. If I hadn't been me, and instead been him then I might have drawn the same conclusions. But, I was me and he was him...so...now I was just confusing myself. In plain, I was a little surprised that it wasn't Roger causing the problem. Though, who knew at this point.

"First off," I started to explain, trying to calm Piggy's frustration and douse the other's confusion as to why I'd been disappearing during sun-high, "I should probably tell you that I've been visiting Roger near Jack's camp for a few days now..."

"What?!" Ralph exclaimed, turning a little red with anger, "You...you're crazy! Do you know how dangerous that is?! They're..savages!"

A new fury bubbled up in me. I had to fight to suppress entirely, and even then it didn't work. "He's not that bad, actually, and this isn't about him...well it is...but that's not the point! Just let me finish, this is really serious!"

Ralph consented with an upset grumble, and I went on.

"I have a twin sister." I stated. The twins nodded in understanding. "She's always wanted to kill me, which is why I lived with my aunt in England. But, somehow...or another...she's here. And she still hates me. I don't even know why...I've never done anything to hurt her..."

"Well, that's news." Piggy sighed.

"So that's why-"

"-You were staring at us." Samneric said in their broken, eerie speech. I nodded in reply.

"Yes. Yes, I was wondering how you two get along so well. It's incredible, really." I smiled frailly.

"So, go on." Ralph urged, "Why are you telling us...and what does this have to do with Roger and Jack's tribe?"

"Roger knew about her...I think he's known from the beginning. And from what I can deduce...I think Jack's already in contact with her."

"And what does that mean for us?" Ralph insisted, every word laced with weightiness, "Why does this matter, Alice?"

I frowned and looked down at my feet. The scars were healing quite nicely. Or, at least as nice as they could be in a place like this. At least I could walk without pain now.

"Because now there are three murderers on the island." I whispered, "The two most brutal ones are with Jack. They'll do anything toget what they want. Jack now has what he wanted all along, because I know what my sister's going to do next...I wish she wouldn't but...and now Roger's angry with me. And Maurice probably is by now too."

"You said three?" Piggy puzzled, "Who's the third?"

"It's me."

* * *

**BAGH. THIS CHAPTER PISSES ME OFF BECAUSE IT DELETED HALF OF ITSELF. It's a long story, but it made me really mad and it prevented me from getting it up last night. Anyway, I hope it was at least an okay chapter for what it was. It used to be twice as long before...sniff.**

**Okay, since I haven't updated in a long time and I really have nothing to else to say: **

**REVIEW RESPONSE TIME.**

**(sorry if I don't get your review. I'm doing reviews for the previous chapter ONLY. Just a heads up. I don't mean to be rude...)**

**JASMINE~~**

**Thanks for your review! I need more constructive criticism like yours to improve my writing, so it's greatly appreciated along with all the other reviews! The fact that you took the time out of your day to say anything really conveys a message, and I'll try to work on the things you mentioned! **

**Yeah, I know it's getting a little crap-filled and dodgy. I'm trying to reign it in a bit, honest. There actually aren't that many subplots though, but there is more than I usually include. And, for you and anyone else who is confused as to what happened- Yes, Charisma is Adelaide. or, at least a form of Adelaide. More on that in a later chapter...I think. YEah, I'm clueless. This isn't good...I'm going to have to go back through my planning notebooks and see where exactly I was going with this...sorry, it's been a while.**

**AmethystWren~~**

**Thanks for your review! I'm very glad you liked it! I hope you'll continue to read...*cough* even though this fic just keeps getting more awful by the minute *cough* I have a feeling that all my girl-on-the-island fics will go bad. If any of you have been around for a while, you probably saw my other girl-on-the-island fic.**

**There's a reason I took that down.**

**Yeah, but thank you very much for your review and your time! **

**so...I guess...I'll write ya later?**

**Yeah. yup. yes. This is going smashingly.**


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